Two Percent of West Sumatra's Population is Protestant

The Protestant population in West Sumatra Province as of December 31, 2023, was recorded at 87,823 individuals. This represents an increase of 2,275 individuals compared to the previous year, which reported 85,548 individuals.

According to Ministry of Religious Affairs data, the proportion of Protestants in this province reached two percent of the total population in 2023, which numbered 5.75 million.

Considering the distribution across the population of each region in Sumatra, the proportion of Protestants in West Sumatra ranks sixth.

The following is a list of the population of West Sumatra by religion in 2023:

• Islam 5,610,761 (97.57%)


• Protestant 87,823 (1.53%)


• Catholic 48,104 (0.84%)


• Buddhist 3,286 (0.06%)


• Hindu 87 (0.0%)


• Confucian 7 (0.0%)

Compared to other regions in Sumatra, the number of Protestants in this province ranks sixth out of the 10 provinces on the island of Sumatra.

Other regions with the highest number of Protestants on the island of Sumatra are: North Sumatra 4,105,365 individuals, Riau 673,174 individuals, Riau Islands 261,481 individuals, Jambi 126,191 individuals, Lampung 122,060 individuals, South Sumatra 86,346 individuals, Aceh 63,997 individuals, Bengkulu 33,510 individuals, and Bangka Belitung Islands 32,063 individuals.