North Sumatra: population, jobs, wages, poverty and inequality

North Sumatra is a province of Indonesia, number 4 of 38 by population. North Sumatra had 15,785,839 people in 2025 (7,922,846 men and 7,862,993 women), 4th most populous of 38 provinces, or 5.5% of Indonesia's 284.4 million.

In depth

• Economy, jobs and prices in North Sumatra: The open unemployment rate in North Sumatra was 5.32% in August 2025, 11th highest of 38 provinces; the national rate was 4.85%.
• Health in North Sumatra: North Sumatra had 619 community health centres (Puskesmas) in 2024, about 4.0 per 100,000 residents, 11th lowest of 38 provinces on that measure (Indonesia overall: 3.6 per 100,000). Of these, 178 had inpatient beds.
• Education in North Sumatra: Adults aged 15 and over in North Sumatra had completed an average of 10.18 years of schooling in 2024 (8th highest of 38 provinces), compared with 9.22 years nationally (BPS Susenas).
• Poverty and living standards in North Sumatra: 7.24% of people in North Sumatra lived below the poverty line in September 2025, 17th lowest of 38 provinces; the national poverty rate was 8.25%.
• Government budget and revenue in North Sumatra: The provincial government of North Sumatra collected Rp 12.03 trillion in revenue in 2025 (95.9% of its Rp 12.55 trillion budget) and spent Rp 11.51 trillion (92.0% of budget), according to the Ministry of Finance; this is the province government alone, not its regencies and cities.

How provinces are governed in Indonesia

Provinces (38; 34 in 2020 data, four new Papuan provinces created in 2022). Governor and provincial council (DPRD) directly elected for five years; Yogyakarta's governor is its hereditary Sultan. Coordinates regencies and cities; the governor also represents central government.

Every tier of government in Indonesia

Other provinces of Indonesia

• West Java 50,759,003
• East Java 42,089,271
• Central Java 38,233,933
• Banten 12,537,436
• DKI Jakarta 10,677,975
• South Sulawesi 9,563,127
• Lampung 9,522,913
• South Sumatra 8,928,515
• Riau 6,811,158
• West Sumatra 5,914,296
• West Kalimantan 5,766,030
• East Nusa Tenggara 5,742,564
• West Nusa Tenggara 5,731,107
• Aceh 5,625,960
• Bali 4,461,267
• South Kalimantan 4,323,330
• East Kalimantan 4,267,598
• Special Region of Yogyakarta 3,781,549
• Jambi 3,768,482
• Central Sulawesi 3,156,102
• Central Kalimantan 2,844,992
• Southeast Sulawesi 2,836,738
• North Sulawesi 2,721,438
• Riau Islands 2,213,456
• Bengkulu 2,138,044
• Maluku 1,970,563
• Bangka Belitung Islands 1,550,821
• West Sulawesi 1,525,335
• Central Papua 1,492,286
• Highland Papua 1,484,858
• North Maluku 1,373,824
• Gorontalo 1,242,238
• Papua 1,073,637
• North Kalimantan 749,367
• Southwest Papua 636,434
• West Papua 587,645
• South Papua 549,651

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Sources

• Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), Secretariat General: Profil Kesehatan Indonesia 2025, Lampiran 1.8: Gini index by province, 2021-2025 (Susenas, Statistics Indonesia), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 d90b802535dc…)
• Ministry of Manpower (Kemnaker), Satudata Kemnaker: Not in Employment, Education and Training (NEET), Februari 2026: NEET by province and sex (Sakernas February 2026), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 df089218f4bc…)
• Ministry of Manpower (Kemnaker), Satudata Kemnaker: Tingkat Produktivitas Tenaga Kerja Berdasarkan Provinsi Tahun 2016-2025 (regional GDP per worker at constant 2010 prices, from BPS regional GDP of 10 February 2026 and Sakernas), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1afeb96d222f…)
• Ministry of Manpower (Kemnaker), Satudata Kemnaker: Upah Minimum Provinsi (UMP) di Indonesia Tahun 2026 (provincial minimum wages, set under Government Regulation 49 of 2025), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 75af2078cb8d…)
• Ministry of Finance, Directorate General of Fiscal Balance (DJPK): Regional budget (APBD) data: budget and December realisation of the provincial government and of the province with its regencies and cities, 2024 and 2025, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f767c05fc67c…)
• Ministry of Health (Kementerian Kesehatan): Profil Kesehatan Indonesia 2024, Lampiran 20.f: health Special Allocation Fund (DAK) by province, 2024, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 8157f6d47b4b…)
• Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen): Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education reference data: number of primary and junior secondary education units by province (all statuses, formal route), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 ac359f193df5…)
• Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen): Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education reference data: number of senior secondary, vocational and special education units by province (all statuses, formal route), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 02de29ed74c1…)
• Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen): Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education reference data: number of early childhood education units by province (all statuses, formal route), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 9f23469cd02f…)
• Ministry of Finance, Directorate General of Fiscal Balance (DJPK): Transfers to regions and village funds (TKDD): budget and realisation for the province with its regencies and cities, 2024 and 2025, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 cc13a587f861…)

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