Karo Regency is a landlocked regency of North Sumatra Province of Indonesia, situated in the Barisan Mountains. The regency, which was established on 7 November 1956, covers an area of and according to the 2010 census it had a population of 350,479,Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. increasing to 404,998 at the 2020 Census;Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. the official estimate as of mid 2025 was 429,954 (comprising 211,712 males and 218,242 females).Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 27 February 2026, Kabupaten Karo Dalam Angka 2026 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1211) 60.99% of the regency is forested. Its regency seat is the town of Kabanjahe. The Batak Karo language is spoken in the regency, as well as the Indonesian language. It borders Southeast Aceh Regency in Aceh to the west, Deli Serdang Regency and Langkat Regency to the north, Dairi Regency and Toba Samosir Regency to the south, and Deli Serdang Regency and Simalungun Regency to the east.
Economy
The GDP per capita of Karo Regency in 2005 was 11.65 million rupiah, approximately US$1,200. 74% of the population works in agriculture, which comprises 60% of the regional GDP. The second-largest sector is government, which comprises 11% of the regional GDP.
Administrative divisions The regency is divided administratively into seventeen districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their areasBadan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, Kabupaten Karo Dalam Angka 2025 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1211) and their populations at the 2010 Census and the 2020 Census, together with the official estimates as of mid 2025.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 27 February 2026, Kabupaten Karo Dalam Angka 2026 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1211) The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district (totaling 259 rural desa and 10 urban kelurahan), and its post codes.
Kode Wilayah Name ofDistrict(kecamatan) Area in km2 Pop'nCensus2010 Pop'nCensus2020 Pop'nEstimatemid 2025Admin centre No.ofvillagesPostcode 12.06.10 Mardingding 325.3017,06219,95420,328Mardingding1222165 12.06.09 Laubaleng 184.1617,71320,65220,767Laubaleng1522164 12.06.08 Tigabinanga 176.4419,90022,39523,418Tigabinanga20 (a) 22162 12.06.07 Juhar 220.0213,24414,78715,458Juhar Perangin-angin2522163 12.06.06 Munte 140.6319,68622,90924,445Munte2222161 12.06.13 Kuta Buluh 259.3810,58612,60212,949Kutabuluh1622155 12.06.11 Payung 31.3610,83712,24911,630Payung822154 12.06.17 Tiganderket 67.1713,17814,55515,504Tiganderket1722156 12.06.12 Simpang Empat 65.1319,01521,35524,241Ndokum Siroga1722150 12.06.16 Naman Teran 121.8912,79614,62214,436Naman1422151 12.06.15 Merdeka *42.4513,31015,58016,553Merdeka922153 12.06.01 Kabanjahe 34.3163,32673,58178,196Kabanjahe13 (b) 22111- 22115 12.06.02 Berastagi *33.7642,54148,24451,701Berastagi10 (c) 22152 12.06.04 Tigapanah 127.0429,31934,26339,098Tigapanah2622170 12.06.14 Dolat Rakyat *22.858,2969,84810,231Dolat Rakyat722171 12.06.05 Merek 229.3618,05422,74625,526Garingging1922173 12.06.03 Barusjahe *125.6322,09724,65625,473Barusjahe1922172 Totals 2,206.88350,960404,998429,954Kabanjahe269
Notes: (a) including one kelurahan (Tigabinanga town). (b) comprising 5 kelurahan (Gung Leto, Gung Negeri, Kampung Dalam, Lau Cimba and Padang Mas) and 8 desa. (c) comprising 4 kelurahan (Gundaling I, Gundaling Ii, Tambak Lau Mulgap I and Tambak Lau Mulgap Ii) and 6 desa.
Note that four of these districts (indicated by "*" above), with a combined area of 224.69 km 2 and 103,958 inhabitants in mid 2025, constitute a part of the Medan metropolitan area.
References