The Most Popular Sports in Indonesia (Top 15 Ranked)

Volleyball leads Indonesia with 16,2 % share of surveyed population participating, by sport type. Ranking of 15 sports, with sources.

This page ranks the sports of Indonesia by one number that is collected the same way for all of them: The Ministry of Youth and Sports (Kemenpora) surveyed sport participation across 38 Indonesian provinces for its 2024 Sports Development Index and reports, for each sport, the percentage of participants this represents, which makes the sports comparable to one another within this single survey. The figures come from Kementerian Pemuda dan Olahraga Republik Indonesia (Kemenpora), Laporan Indeks Pembangunan Olahraga (IPO) 2024.

Volleyball is on top, followed by Soccer and Badminton. The full table below covers 15 sports, and every section further down names the source for the figure it uses.

The Most Popular Sports in Indonesia

The table counts share of surveyed population participating, by sport type, not people who say they like a sport. It is the figure that is published the same way for every sport in the list, which is what makes the rows comparable. The reference year is 2024.

#	Sport	Share of surveyed population participating, by sport type	Governing body
1	Volleyball	16,2 %	Indonesian Volleyball Association (PBVSI, Persatuan Bola Voli Seluruh Indonesia)
2	Soccer	15,9 %	Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI, Persatuan Sepakbola Seluruh Indonesia)
3	Badminton	7,6 %	Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI, Persatuan Bulutangkis Seluruh Indonesia)
4	Cycling	3,2 %	Indonesian Cycling Federation (ISSI, Ikatan Sport Sepeda Indonesia)
5	Swimming	1,5 %	Indonesian Swimming Federation (PRSI, Persatuan Renang Seluruh Indonesia)
6	Pencak Silat	1,3 %	Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (IPSI, Ikatan Pencak Silat Indonesia)
7	Basketball	1,0 %	Basketball Association of Indonesia (PERBASI, Persatuan Bola Basket Seluruh Indonesia)
8	Weightlifting	0,7 %	Indonesian Weightlifting, Bodybuilding and Powerlifting Federation (PABBSI)
9	Karate	0,6 %	Federation of All Indonesia Karate-do (FORKI, Federasi Olahraga Karate-Do Indonesia)
10	Rowing	0,2 %	Indonesian Rowing Association (PODSI, Persatuan Olahraga Dayung Seluruh Indonesia)
11	Shooting	0,2 %	Indonesian Shooting Sports Association (PERBAKIN, Persatuan Menembak dan Berburu Indonesia)
12	Taekwondo	0,2 %	Indonesian Taekwondo Association (TI, Taekwondo Indonesia)
13	Sport Climbing	0,1 %	Indonesian Federation of Sport Climbing (FPTI, Federasi Panjat Tebing Indonesia)
14	Archery	0,1 %	Indonesian Archery Association (PERPANI, Persatuan Panahan Indonesia)
15	Wushu	0,0 %	Wushu Indonesia (WI)

One caveat applies to every ranking of this kind: someone who plays two sports is counted twice, once in each federation, and sports people mostly do on their own, such as running or hiking, barely show up at all.

Most Played and Most Watched Are Not the Same Sport

Membership and license numbers tell you what people do. Audience figures tell you what they watch, and the two lists rarely have the same sport on top.

Sport	Figure	What it measures
Soccer	1,523,275	Liga 1, Indonesia’s top football division, drew more than 1.5 million spectators to stadiums across its 2024/25 season.
Soccer	19,403	Persija Jakarta had the highest average home match attendance of any Liga 1 club in the 2024/25 season.

Is There a National Sport of Indonesia?

Indonesia has no national sport laid down by law or by government decision. Indonesia has no sport designated by law as its official national sport; Presidential Decree No. 67 of 1985 only established September 9 as National Sports Day.

• Pencak Silat. Pencak silat is widely treated as Indonesia’s de facto national martial art, described by President Prabowo Subianto, in his role as chairman of the national federation IPSI, as reflecting the character of the Indonesian nation.

Sports That Were Invented in Indonesia

• Pencak Silat. Pencak silat is a group of martial arts native to the Indonesian archipelago, with the term pencak associated with Java and silat with West Sumatra.

#1 Volleyball

• Share of surveyed population participating, by sport type: 16,2 % (Indonesian Volleyball Association (PBVSI, Persatuan Bola Voli Seluruh Indonesia), 2024)
• Top national league: Proliga

Volleyball ranked as Indonesia’s most widely practiced organized sport in the 2024 Sports Development Index published by the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The nationwide survey put participation at 16.2 percent, a share the report equates to roughly 27 million people.

The sport is organized under PBVSI, the Indonesian Volleyball Association, and its top domestic competition is Proliga. In the 2024 ministry survey volleyball recorded the same 16.2 percent share as gymnastics based exercise, before general movement categories were set aside for this ranking.

#2 Soccer

• Share of surveyed population participating, by sport type: 15,9 % (Football Association of Indonesia (PSSI, Persatuan Sepakbola Seluruh Indonesia), 2024)
• Top national league: Liga 1

Soccer came in just behind volleyball in the 2024 ministry survey, with 15.9 percent of respondents reporting they played the sport, equivalent to about 26.5 million people according to the same report.

PSSI governs the sport nationally and its top division, Liga 1, is the country’s main professional competition. Attendance figures collected for Liga 1’s 2024/25 season, covered separately in this data, show the league still draws large crowds despite the sport’s comparatively modest share of overall grassroots participation.

#3 Badminton

• Share of surveyed population participating, by sport type: 7,6 % (Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI, Persatuan Bulutangkis Seluruh Indonesia), 2024)

Badminton was practiced by 7.6 percent of the population surveyed in the 2024 ministry report, a share equal to about 12.6 million people, placing it fifth among all sport types measured before general movement categories were removed from this list.

The national federation PBSI oversees the sport’s competitive structure in Indonesia, from regional clubs up to the national training squad. The 2024 national survey covers every province, indicating the sport’s practice extends across the country rather than being concentrated in a single region.

#4 Cycling

• Share of surveyed population participating, by sport type: 3,2 % (Indonesian Cycling Federation (ISSI, Ikatan Sport Sepeda Indonesia), 2024)

Cycling was reported by 3.2 percent of respondents in the 2024 Sports Development Index chart of sport types, placing it well below the top group led by volleyball, soccer and badminton.

ISSI, the Indonesian Cycling Federation, is the sport’s national governing body. The ministry’s figure comes from the same nationwide participation survey used for every other sport in this ranking, which keeps the shares comparable across sports.

#5 Swimming

• Share of surveyed population participating, by sport type: 1,5 % (Indonesian Swimming Federation (PRSI, Persatuan Renang Seluruh Indonesia), 2024)

Swimming reached 1.5 percent participation in the 2024 ministry survey, ranking it fifth among the sports counted once everyday movement categories are excluded.

The sport falls under PRSI, the Indonesian Swimming Federation. Its participation share in the 2024 index places it above pencak silat, basketball and weightlifting, all of which were measured in the same nationwide survey.

#6 Pencak Silat

• Share of surveyed population participating, by sport type: 1,3 % (Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (IPSI, Ikatan Pencak Silat Indonesia), 2024)

Pencak silat, the martial art that originated in the Indonesian archipelago, was practiced by 1.3 percent of the population surveyed in the 2024 ministry index.

The sport is governed nationally by IPSI, the Indonesian Pencak Silat Association. Separate from this participation ranking, pencak silat was inscribed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2019, recognition that is detailed further in this data under its origin and national sport entries.

#7 Basketball

• Share of surveyed population participating, by sport type: 1,0 % (Basketball Association of Indonesia (PERBASI, Persatuan Bola Basket Seluruh Indonesia), 2024)
• Top national league: Indonesian Basketball League (IBL)

Basketball was reported by 1.0 percent of respondents in the 2024 ministry participation survey, placing it seventh in this ranking.

PERBASI is the national federation for the sport, and the Indonesian Basketball League, IBL, is its top domestic competition. The 2024 figure is drawn from the same Kemenpora survey that measured every sport in this list.

#8 Weightlifting

• Share of surveyed population participating, by sport type: 0,7 % (Indonesian Weightlifting, Bodybuilding and Powerlifting Federation (PABBSI), 2024)

Weightlifting recorded 0.7 percent participation in the 2024 Sports Development Index, one of the sports the report singles out as having achievements that outpace its share of participants.

PABBSI is the sport’s national federation. The 2024 report notes explicitly that a low participation share does not correspond to weak international results, citing weightlifting as an example of this pattern.

#9 Karate

• Share of surveyed population participating, by sport type: 0,6 % (Federation of All Indonesia Karate-do (FORKI, Federasi Olahraga Karate-Do Indonesia), 2024)

Karate reached 0.6 percent participation in the 2024 ministry survey, placing it ninth among the sports measured for this ranking.

FORKI is the national body overseeing the sport in Indonesia. Its participation share sits between weightlifting and rowing in the same 2024 index.

#10 Rowing

• Share of surveyed population participating, by sport type: 0,2 % (Indonesian Rowing Association (PODSI, Persatuan Olahraga Dayung Seluruh Indonesia), 2024)

Rowing was reported by 0.2 percent of respondents in the 2024 ministry survey, tied with shooting and taekwondo for that share.

PODSI governs the sport nationally. All three sports at this participation level appear together on the same chart in the 2024 Sports Development Index report.

#11 Shooting

• Share of surveyed population participating, by sport type: 0,2 % (Indonesian Shooting Sports Association (PERBAKIN, Persatuan Menembak dan Berburu Indonesia), 2024)

Shooting sports registered 0.2 percent participation in the 2024 ministry survey, the same share recorded for rowing and taekwondo.

PERBAKIN is the national federation for the sport. Its position in this ranking comes directly from the 2024 Sports Development Index chart covering all measured sport types.

#12 Taekwondo

• Share of surveyed population participating, by sport type: 0,2 % (Indonesian Taekwondo Association (TI, Taekwondo Indonesia), 2024)

Taekwondo also recorded 0.2 percent participation in the 2024 ministry survey, the same figure as rowing and shooting.

TI, Taekwondo Indonesia, governs the sport nationally. The 2024 index lists it just above sport climbing and archery, both of which recorded lower participation shares.

#13 Sport Climbing

• Share of surveyed population participating, by sport type: 0,1 % (Indonesian Federation of Sport Climbing (FPTI, Federasi Panjat Tebing Indonesia), 2024)

Sport climbing was practiced by 0.1 percent of respondents in the 2024 ministry survey, one of the smallest participation shares among the sports measured.

FPTI is the national federation for the sport in Indonesia. The 2024 report groups it with weightlifting and archery as sports whose competitive results are not reflected in a large base of participants.

#14 Archery

• Share of surveyed population participating, by sport type: 0,1 % (Indonesian Archery Association (PERPANI, Persatuan Panahan Indonesia), 2024)

Archery matched sport climbing’s 0.1 percent share in the 2024 ministry participation survey, placing it near the bottom of this ranking.

PERPANI is the sport’s national governing body. The 2024 report explicitly names archery among sports whose participation share is far smaller than their competitive reputation would suggest.

#15 Wushu

• Share of surveyed population participating, by sport type: 0,0 % (Wushu Indonesia (WI), 2024)

Wushu closed out the list of named sports in the 2024 ministry chart, recorded at effectively 0.0 percent participation, below every other sport listed by name in the survey.

Wushu Indonesia, WI, is the sport’s national federation. Its position at the foot of the 2024 index reflects the survey’s own ordering of named sport types, before a separate, unnamed remainder category.

Sources

• Kementerian Pemuda dan Olahraga Republik Indonesia (Kemenpora), Laporan Indeks Pembangunan Olahraga (IPO) 2024
• Bola.com
• Detik.com
• Bola.com, reporting on Keputusan Presiden Nomor 67 Tahun 1985
• Antara News
• UNESCO, Intangible Cultural Heritage, Decision of the Intergovernmental Committee 14.COM 10.B.15

Figures on this page come from national federations and statistics offices and are only as current as their latest published report. Last reviewed: August 2026.

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