92.37% of Kutai Kartanegara's population was Muslim in June 2021.

The Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration (Dukcapil) of the Ministry of Home Affairs recorded a population of 741,950 in Kutai Kartanegara Regency in June 2021. Of this number, 685,315 people (92.37%) are Muslim.

This means that the majority of the population in the prospective Nusantara IKN (New Capital City) is Muslim. There are also 40,173 people (5.41%) who are Christian, 13,613 people (1.83%) Catholic, and 2,523 people (0.34%) Hindu.

Furthermore, 238 people (0.03%) follow Buddhism, 81 people (0.01%) adhere to indigenous beliefs, and 7 people (0.0%) are Confucian.

Kutai Kartanegara is the second largest regency in East Kalimantan Province, covering an area of 23,601.09 square kilometers. Administratively, it is divided into 18 sub-districts comprising 193 villages and 44 urban villages.

Previously, controversial statements by activist Edy Mulyadi, who referred to Kalimantan as a place where "jin (spirits) discard their children," ignited the anger of the people of Kalimantan. These statements were made during Edy Mulyadi's criticism of the plan to relocate the National Capital (IKN) Nusantara to East Kalimantan.

For information, the prospective Nusantara IKN is located in two regencies in East Kalimantan: Kutai Kartanegara Regency and Penajam Paser Utara Regency. The development of the IKN covers 199,962 hectares within a 256,142-hectare national strategic area in these two regencies.