Two Percent of the Population in Riau Islands is Catholic

The Catholic population in Riau Islands Province as of December 31, 2022, was recorded at 54,457 individuals. This represents an increase of 2,266 individuals compared to the previous year's reported figure of 52,191.

According to data from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the proportion of Catholics in this province reached two percent of the total population in 2022, which numbered 2.45 million.

Considering its distribution relative to the population of each region in Sumatra, the proportion of Catholics in Riau Islands ranks fourth.

The population of Riau Islands by religion in 2022 was as follows:

• Islam 1,671,242 (68.23%)
• Protestant 255,466 (10.43%)
• Buddhist 147,811 (6.03%)
• Catholic 54,457 (2.22%)
• Confucian 3,249 (0.13%)
• Hindu 933 (0.04%)
• Other 333 (0.01%)

Compared to other regions in Sumatra, the Catholic population in this province is among the top four.

Other regions with the top 10 highest numbers of Catholics on the island of Sumatra are North Sumatra with 657,673 individuals, Lampung with 77,227, Riau with 72,507, South Sumatra with 50,383, West Sumatra with 47,301, Jambi with 21,268, Bangka Belitung Islands with 19,298, Bengkulu with 8,062, and Aceh with 5,704.