Editing Bali (section)

== Demographics ==
[[File:Bratan Bali Indonesia Balinese-family-after-Puja-01.jpg|thumb|[[Balinese people|Balinese]] family after performing [[Puja (Hinduism)|puja]] in a temple]]
{{Historical populations
|1971 | 2120322
|1980 | 2469930
|1990 | 2777811
|1995 | 2895649
|2000 | 3146999
|2005 | 3378092
|2010 | 3890757
|2015 | 4148588
|2020 | 4317404
|2024 | 4461260
|footnote=sources:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bps.go.id/tab_sub/view.php?kat%3D1%26tabel1&daftar=1&id_subyek=12&notab=1 }}</ref>
}}The population of Bali was 3,890,757 as of the 2010 census, and 4,317,404 at the 2020 census; the official estimate as at mid 2024 was 4,461,260 (comprising 2,222,440 males and 2,210,820 females).<ref name="Badan Pusat Statistik 2025">Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, ''Provinsi Bali Dalam Angka 2025'' [Bali Province In Numbers 2025] (Katalog-BPS 1102001.51)</ref> In 2021, the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism estimated that there were 109,801 foreigners living on Bali, with most originating from Russia, United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, France, Italy, India, and the Netherlands.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://balidiscovery.com/total-number-of-foreigners-in-bali/ | title=Total Number of Foreigners in Bali &#124; Bali Discovery | date=27 June 2021 }}</ref>

=== Ethnic origins ===
A DNA study in 2005 by Karafet et al. found that 12% of Balinese [[Y-chromosome]]s are of likely [[Austroasiatic Languages|Austroasiasic]] origin, while 84% are of likely [[Austronesian peoples|Austronesian]] origin, and 2% of likely [[Melanesians|Melanesian]] origin.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Karafet |first1=Tatiana |last2=Lansing |first2=J. |last3=Redd |first3=Alan |last4=Reznikova |first4=Svetlana |title=Balinese Y-Chromosome Perspective on the Peopling of Indonesia: Genetic Contributions from Pre-Neolithic Hunter- Gatherers, Austronesian Farmers, and Indian Traders |journal=Human Biology |date=February 2005 |volume=77 |issue=1 |pages=93–114 |doi=10.1353/hub.2005.0030 |pmid=16114819 |url=https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/humbiol/vol77/iss1/8/ |hdl=1808/13586 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

=== Caste system ===
{{Main|Balinese caste system}}
Pre-modern Bali had four castes, as Jeff Lewis and Belinda Lewis state, but with a "very strong tradition of communal decision-making and interdependence".<ref>{{cite book|author1=Jeff Lewis|author2=Belinda Lewis|title=Bali's silent crisis: desire, tragedy, and transition|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=yuNMcfJHeyUC |year= 2009|publisher= Lexington Books|isbn=978-0-7391-3243-2|pages=56, 83–86}}</ref> The four castes have been classified as Sudra ([[Shudra]]), Wesia ([[Vaishya]]s), [[Balinese Kshatriya|Satria]] ([[Kshatriya]]s) and Brahmana ([[Brahmin]]).<ref>{{cite book|author= Geoffrey Robinson|title= The Dark Side of Paradise: Political Violence in Bali|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=m3Gfir3Ju70C |year=1995| publisher= Cornell University Press|isbn= 0-8014-8172-4|page=32}}</ref>

The 19th-century scholars such as Crawfurd and Friederich suggested that the Balinese caste system had Indian origins, but Helen Creese states that scholars such as Brumund who had visited and stayed on the island of Bali suggested that his field observations conflicted with the "received understandings concerning its Indian origins".<ref name="Creese2016p305">{{cite book|author=Helen M. Creese|title=Bali in the Early Nineteenth Century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tQpRDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA305 |year=2016|publisher=BRILL Academic|isbn=978-90-04-31583-9|pages=305 with footnotes}}</ref> In Bali, the Shudra (locally spelt ''Soedra'') has typically been the temple priests, though depending on the demographics, a temple priest may also be from the other three castes.<ref name=belo4 /> In most regions, it has been the Shudra who typically make offerings to the gods on behalf of the Hindu devotees, chant prayers, recite ''meweda'' (Vedas), and set the course of Balinese temple festivals.<ref name=belo4>Jane Belo (1953), Bali: Temple Festival, Monograph 22, American Ethnological Society, University of Washington Press, pages 4–5</ref>

===Religion===
{{main|Balinese Hinduism}}
{{Pie chart
| thumb = left
| caption = Religion in Bali (2022)<ref name="RELIGION">{{cite web|url=https://satudata.kemenag.go.id/dataset/detail/jumlah-penduduk-menurut-agama|title=Jumlah Penduduk Menurut Agama|publisher=[[Ministry of Religious Affairs (Indonesia)|Ministry of Religious Affairs]]|date=31 August 2022|access-date=29 October 2023|language=id}}</ref>
| label1 = [[Hinduism]]
| value1 = 86.59
| color1 = DarkOrange
| label2 = [[Islam]]
| value2 = 10.16
| color2 = Green
| label3 = [[Christianity]]
| value3 = 2.55
| color3 = Blue
| label4 = [[Buddhism]]
| value4 = 0.68
| color4 = Gold
| label5 = Confucianism
| value5 = 0.01
| color5 = deeppink
}}

About 86.59% of Bali's population adheres to [[Balinese Hinduism]], formed as a combination of existing [[Balinese mythology|local beliefs]] and [[Hindu]] influences from mainland Southeast Asia and South Asia. Minority religions include [[Islam]] (10.16%), [[Christianity]] (2.55%), and [[Buddhism]] (0.68%) as for 2022.<ref name="AGAMA"/><ref name="RELIGION"/>

[[File:Besakih Bali Indonesia Pura-Besakih-03.jpg|thumb|The [[Besakih Temple|Mother Temple of Besakih]], one of Bali's most significant [[Hindu temple]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pasha |first=Muhammad Ali |date=2024-10-15 |title=A Memorable Visit to Uluwatu Temple: Bali's Cliffside Gem - The Europe Today |url=https://theeuropetoday.com/2024/10/15/a-memorable-visit-to-uluwatu-temple-balis-cliffside-gem/ |access-date=2024-12-09 |language=en-US}}</ref>]]
The general beliefs and practices of ''Agama Hindu Dharma'' mix ancient traditions and contemporary pressures placed by Indonesian laws that permit only monotheist belief under the national ideology of [[Pancasila (politics)|''Pancasila'']].<ref name=junemcdaniel>{{cite journal|last=McDaniel|first=June|title=Agama Hindu Dharma Indonesia as a New Religious Movement: Hinduism Recreated in the Image of Islam| journal= Nova Religio|year= 2010|volume= 14|issue= 1|pages= 93–111|doi=10.1525/nr.2010.14.1.93}}</ref><ref name=syamashita>Shinji Yamashita (2002), Bali and Beyond: Explorations in the Anthropology of Tourism, Berghahn, {{ISBN|978-1571813275}}, pp. 57-65</ref> Traditionally, Hinduism in Indonesia had a pantheon of deities and that tradition of belief continues in practice; further, Hinduism in Indonesia granted freedom and flexibility to Hindus as to when, how and where to pray.<ref name=syamashita /> However, officially, the Indonesian government considers and advertises Indonesian Hinduism as a [[monotheistic religion]] with certain officially recognised beliefs that comply with its national ideology.<ref name=junemcdaniel /><ref name=syamashita /><ref>Michel Picard (2003), in Hinduism in Modern Indonesia (Editor: Martin Ramstedt), Routledge, {{ISBN|978-0700715336}}, pp. 56–72</ref> Indonesian school textbooks describe Hinduism as having one supreme being, Hindus offering three daily mandatory prayers, and Hinduism as having certain common beliefs that in part parallel those of Islam.<ref name=syamashita /><ref name=jmcdaniel2013>{{cite journal |last1=McDaniel |first1=J. |title=A Modern Hindu Monotheism: Indonesian Hindus as 'People of the Book' |journal=The Journal of Hindu Studies |date=November 2013 |volume=6 |issue=3 |pages=333–362 |doi=10.1093/jhs/hit030 }}</ref> Some scholars<ref name=syamashita /><ref>Anthony Forge (1980), Balinese Religion and Indonesian Identity, in Indonesia: The Making of a Culture (Editor: James Fox), Australian National University, {{ISBN|978-0909596590}}</ref><ref>Putu Setia (1992), Cendekiawan Hindu Bicara, Denpasar: Yayasan Dharma Naradha, {{ISBN|978-9798357008}}, pp. 217–229</ref>{{who|date=July 2024}} contest whether these Indonesian government recognised and assigned beliefs to reflect the traditional beliefs and practices of Hindus in Indonesia before Indonesia gained independence from Dutch colonial rule.

Balinese Hinduism has roots in Indian Hinduism and Buddhism, which arrived through [[Java]].<ref>{{cite book | last=Becker | first=J. | title=The Study of Time IV | chapter=Hindu-Buddhist Time in Javanese Gamelan Music | publisher=Springer | year=1981 | isbn=978-1-4612-5949-7 | doi=10.1007/978-1-4612-5947-3_13 | pages=161–172}}</ref> Hindu influences reached the [[List of islands of Indonesia|Indonesian Archipelago]] as early as the first century.<ref name=jgonda>[[Jan Gonda]], The Indian Religions in Pre-Islamic Indonesia and their survival in Bali, in {{Google books|X7YfAAAAIAAJ|Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 3 Southeast Asia, Religions|page=1}}, pp. 1–54</ref> Historical evidence is unclear about the diffusion process of cultural and spiritual ideas from India. Java legends refer to Saka-era, traced to [[78 AD]]. Stories from the [[Mahabharata]] Epic have been traced in Indonesian islands to the 1st century; however, the versions mirror those found in the southeast Indian peninsular region (now [[Tamil Nadu]] and southern [[Karnataka]] and [[Andhra Pradesh]]).<ref name=jgonda />

[[File:Pura Bratan Bali.jpg|right|thumb|[[Pura Ulun Danu Bratan]]]]

The Bali tradition adopted the pre-existing animistic traditions of the indigenous people. This influence strengthened the belief that the gods and goddesses are present in all things. Every element of nature, therefore, possesses its power, which reflects the power of the gods. A rock, tree, dagger, or woven cloth is a potential home for spirits whose energy can be directed for good or evil. Balinese Hinduism is deeply interwoven with art and ritual. Ritualising states of self-control are a notable feature of religious expression among the people, who for this reason have become famous for their graceful and decorous behaviour.<ref>Slattum, J. (2003) ''Balinese Masks: Spirits of an Ancient Drama. Indonesia, Asia Pacific, Japan, North America, Latin America, and Europe'' Periplus Editions (H) Ltd</ref>

Apart from the majority of Balinese Hindus, there also exist [[Chinese Indonesian|Chinese]] immigrants whose traditions have melded with that of the locals. As a result, these Sino-Balinese embrace their original religion, which is a mixture of Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism, and Confucianism, and find a way to harmonise it with the local traditions. Hence, it is not uncommon to find local Sino-Balinese during the local temple's ''[[odalan]]''. Moreover, Balinese Hindu priests are invited to perform rites alongside a Chinese priest in the event of the death of a Sino-Balinese. Nevertheless, the Sino-Balinese claim to embrace Buddhism for administrative purposes, such as their Identity Cards.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://voicesoftheshadows.blogspot.com/2021/01/hectic-yet-void-week.html |title=Hectic, yet void, week |publisher=Voicesoftheshadows.blogspot.com |date=7 May 2009 |access-date=30 December 2012}}</ref> The [[Catholic Church in Indonesia|Roman Catholic community]] has a [[diocese]], the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Denpasar|Diocese of Denpasar]] that encompasses the province of Bali and [[West Nusa Tenggara]] and has its [[cathedral]] located in [[Denpasar]].

Bali is predominantly [[Hindus|Hindu]], however it exemplifies Indonesia's broader commitment to religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Indonesia's national philosophy, Pancasila, enshrines respect for all recognized religions and underpins efforts to maintain interfaith dialogue and social harmony across the country. Major [[Islam]]ic organizations, such as Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, actively promote peace, tolerance, and fraternity among religious communities, reinforcing Indonesia's reputation as a model for moderation and pluralism in the region.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Religious Tolerance In Bali: A Harmonious Blend Of Faiths – Chandra Bali Villas |url=https://www.chandrabalivillas.com/blog/religious-tolerance-in-bali-a-harmonious-blend-of-faiths/ |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=www.chandrabalivillas.com}}</ref>

<gallery class="center">
File:Pura Penataran Lempuyang Bali 492102459.jpg|''Penataran Lempuyang'' Temple, Gunung Lempuyang, Bali
File:DenpasarSt.JosephChurch.JPG|Saint Joseph's Church, Denpasar
File:Chinese temple, Bali.jpg|''Ling Sii Miao'' Buddhist Temple, Denpasar
File:Kuta Bali Indonesia Masjid-Agung-Ibnu-Batutah-02.jpg|''Ibnu Batutah'' Mosque, Kuta
</gallery>

=== Language ===
{{main|Balinese language}}
[[File:WIKITONGUES - Ni Luh speaking Balinese.webm|thumb|right|[[Balinese language]]]]
[[Balinese language|Balinese]] and [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]] are the most widely spoken languages in Bali, and the vast majority of [[Balinese people]] are [[bilingual]] or [[trilingual]]. The most common spoken language around the tourist areas is Indonesian, as many people in the tourist sector are not solely Balinese, but migrants from [[Java]], [[Lombok]], [[Sumatra]], and other parts of Indonesia. The Balinese language is heavily [[Register (sociolinguistics)|stratified]] due to the [[Balinese caste system]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=I Wayan Arka |year=2005 |title=Speech Levels, Social Predicates and Pragmatic Structure in Balinese: A Lexical Approach |journal=Pragmatics |volume=15 |issue=2–3 |pages=169–203 |doi=10.1075/prag.15.2-3.02ark |doi-access=free}}</ref> [[Kawi language|Kawi]] and [[Sanskrit]] are also commonly used by some Hindu priests in Bali, as Hindu literature was mostly written in Sanskrit.

[[English language|English]] and Chinese are the next most common languages (and the primary foreign languages) of many Balinese, owing to the requirements of the [[tourism industry]], as well as the English-speaking community and huge Chinese-Indonesian population. Other foreign languages, such as [[Japanese language|Japanese]], [[Korean language|Korean]], [[French language|French]], [[Russian language|Russian]] or [[German language|German]] are often used in multilingual signs for foreign tourists.