The Number of Students in Indonesia, from Aceh to Papua

According to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), there were approximately 7.6 million students in Indonesia by the end of 2021. This comprises approximately 3.2 million students in public universities and 4.4 million students in private universities.

The data presented here includes the number of students in universities, institutes, colleges, academies, and polytechnics under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemdikbudristek).

For students under Kemdikbudristek, the largest concentration is in Banten Province, with approximately 1.3 million students at the end of 2021. The proportion of students in public versus private universities can be seen in the chart above.

The university with the highest number of students is also located in Banten Province: Universitas Terbuka (UT), which had approximately 346,000 active students in May 2022.

Here is a list of the 10 provinces with the highest number of students in 2021 (public and private universities combined):

1. Banten: 1,359,845 students
2. East Java: 863,449 students
3. West Java: 826,727 students
4. Jakarta: 698,268 students
5. Central Java: 601,618 students
6. Yogyakarta: 389,699 students
7. North Sumatra: 372,423 students
8. South Sulawesi: 337,759 students
9. West Sumatra: 177,767 students
10. Aceh: 146,126 students

And here is a list of the 10 provinces with the fewest students in 2021 (public and private universities combined):

1. North Kalimantan: 12,775 students
2. Bangka Belitung Islands: 13,083 students
3. West Sulawesi: 27,017 students
4. Central Kalimantan: 37,393 students
5. West Papua: 38,307 students
6. North Maluku: 41,429 students
7. Riau Islands: 45,674 students
8. Gorontalo: 47,719 students
9. Bengkulu: 48,310 students
10. Maluku: 67,497 students

In addition to the above, there are also students under the Ministry of Religious Affairs, totaling approximately 1.1 million. Therefore, combining this with students under Kemdikbudristek, the total number of students in Indonesia at the end of 2021 was approximately 8.7 million.