According to the latest data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Banten has become the province with the highest number of active students in Indonesia, reaching 1,687,634 students in 2024.
This figure places Banten at the top, surpassing other major provinces such as East Java, West Java, and DKI Jakarta.
The number is part of the total of approximately 8.47 million active students recorded under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology in 2024. Compared to 2018, the national number of active students has increased by 21.8 percent.
From the collected data, the majority of students in Indonesia are still concentrated in the Java region. It is recorded that 63.2% of active students in 2024 come from provinces in Java.
Banten itself has shown significant development, along with the rapid growth of both public and private universities in the region.
Meanwhile, Papua has the lowest number of active students in Indonesia, with only around 5,600 individuals.
This disparity in student distribution is partly driven by the concentration of prestigious universities in Java, which offer better access, facilities, and promising job opportunities.
This also encourages many prospective students from various regions to continue their studies in Java provinces.
Below is the list of provinces with the highest number of active students in 2024:
- Banten – 1,687,634 students
- East Java – 947,251 students
- West Java – 856,961 students
- DKI Jakarta – 768,603 students
- Central Java – 678,569 students
- DI Yogyakarta – 410,789 students
- North Sumatra – 404,298 students
- South Sulawesi – 356,734 students
- West Sumatra – 195,540 students
- Riau – 152,254 students
- Aceh – 151,574 students
- Bali – 150,382 students
- East Nusa Tenggara – 143,078 students
- South Sumatra – 138,670 students
- Lampung – 136,704 students
