Demak () is a regency (kabupaten) located in the Indonesian province of Central Java, on the northern coast of the island. It is located between 6°43’26’’ and 7°09’43’’ South Latitude, and between 110°27’58’’ and 110°48’47’’ East Longitude. It is bordered by Jepara Regency and the Java Sea to the north, Kudus and Grobogan Regencies to the east, Grobogan and Semarang Regencies to the south, while to the west are Semarang Regency and the city of Semarang, to which the administrative district (kecamatan) of Mranggen within Demak Regency is essentially suburban, while the adjacent districts of Karangawen, Guntur, Sayung and Karangtengah are also within Semarang's sphere of influence. The regency covers a land area of and had a population of 1,055,579 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 1,203,956 at the 2020 Census;Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. the official estimate as of mid 2025 was 1,265,053 (comprising 637,950 males and 627,103 females).Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 27 February 2026, Kabupaten Demak Dalam Angka 2026 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3321) The administrative centre is the town of Demak. It was originally the centre of the Demak Sultanate, once a dominant power in the region. Due to its strong relation with the spread of Islam in Java and the Wali Sanga, it is sometimes referred to with the nickname Kota Wali.
History Precolonial period
The area was a part of the Majapahit Empire during its zenith around the 14th century. The city itself was founded sometime in the late fifteenth century, possibly by a Chinese whose descendant later became the Sultans of Demak. The first Sultan was known as Raden Patah, who was a vassal of Majapahit until 1478. The city was founded as a seaport, next to the now-nonexistent Muria Palaeostrait (which separated Java from Muria Island - now Mount Muria), although silting has now entirely turned the waterway into land. The Sultanate expanded in the expense of the declining Majapahit and its fragments, conquering the coastal region of Tuban around 1527 and reaching inland areas as far as Malang by 1546. As the capital, the city became an important center for trade and the spread of Islam across the island, and a base of the semi-apocryphal Wali Sanga. Upon the decline of the Sultanate, the region was conquered in turn by the Pajang and Mataram Sultanates. The seaport began to silt sometime in the 17th century, diminishing the region's importance as a seaport.
Dutch East Indies Era
Direct VOC presence in Java started upon their capture of Jayakarta (now Jakarta, then Batavia) on 1619. In the 18th century, a massacre of ethnic Chinese in Batavia triggered a war between VOC and Mataram, resulting in the latter's defeat and cession of the north coast of Java, including Demak, to VOC. Upon the latter's dissolution on late 1799, administration of the area along with the rest of VOC's territory was transferred to the Dutch Government while Mataram was reduced to several fragmented states in the south coast of Java, including Yogyakarta and Surakarta.
As part of Dutch East Indies, Demak was organized with nearby Semarang into Residentie Semarang as the Demak Regency and later into Central Java province upon the independence of Indonesia.
Economy In 2014, the gross regional domestic product of the regency was Rp 14.078 trillion (US$1.133 billion) or Rp 12.73 million per capita (US$1025), with the agriculture and manufacturing sectors being the largest contributors. Rice is the most important agricultural produce, with 608,532 tons harvested in 2016 from of cultivated land.
A industrial park is currently under construction, aimed to boost investment in the regency.
Administrative districts The Regency comprises fourteen districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and the 2020 Census,Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. together with the official estimates as of mid 2025.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 27 February 2026, Kabupaten Demak Dalam Angka 2026 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3321) The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district (totaling 243 rural desa and 6 urban kelurahan - the latter all in Demak District), and its post code.
Kode Wilayah Name ofDistrict(kecamatan) Area inkm2 Pop'nCensus2010 Pop'nCensus2020 Pop'nEstimatemid 2025 Admin centre No.ofvillages Postcode 33.21.01 Mranggen 77.97157,143175,722182,830Mranggen19 (a)59567 33.21.02 Karangawen 82.8782,81494,65399,530Karangawen1259566 33.21.03 Guntur 63.0672,31286,12292,381Guntur2059565 33.21.04 Sayung 84.3996,758105,712108,759Sayung2059563 33.21.05 Karangtengah 58.0059,07568,78172,976Karangtengah1759561 Sub-totals Southwest sector 366.29468,102530,990556,476 88 33.21.12 Bonang 87.2695,796106,712110,824Bonang2159552(b) 33.21.11 Demak 65.6598,127110,165114,843Demak19 (c) 59511-59517 33.21.06 Wonosalam 62.8771,48584,66290,570Wonosalam2159571 33.21.07 Dempet 64.2351,09259,68963,433Dempet1659573 33.21.14 Kebonagung 44.4037,64941,56042,972Kebonagung1459583 33.21.08 Gajah 51.8343,01451,73555,760Gajah1859581 33.21.09 Karanganyar 71.5368,18277,53581,331Karanganyar1759582 33.21.10 Mijen 53.9950,30558,28761,697Mijen1559584 33.21.13 Wedung 128.9071,82782,62187,147Wedung2059554 Sub-totals North & East sector 630.65587,477672,966708,577 161 Totals 996.941,055,5791,203,9561,265,053 Demak249
Note: (a) the most populous desa (with 2024 populations) are Batursari (34,144), Kebonbatur (18,561) and Mranggen (14,629). (b) except for the desa of Kembangan, which has a post code of 59511. (c) comprises the 6 kelurahan (Betokan, Bintoro, Kadilangu, Kalicilik, Mangunjiwan and Singorejo) and 13 desa.
The first five districts listed above are situated in the southwest part of the Regency (and thus adjacent to Semarang City), with an area of 366.29 km2 and 551,450 inhabitants in mid 2024. The remaining nine districts are situated further away from Semarang, with an area of 630.65 km2 and 701,520 inhabitants in mid 2024.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, Kabupaten Demak Dalam Angka 2025 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3321)
See also Demak Sultanate Demak (town)
References