Quick answerMedan is a city in Indonesia, with 2,486,283 people inside the city limits in 2024. The wider metropolitan area had about 4.9 million people in 2024. It is best known for the Maimun Palace, the Great Mosque of Medan and the Tjong A Fie Mansion. Its official language is Indonesian, and its currency is the Indonesian rupiah.
Medan is the capital of North Sumatra and the largest city in Indonesia outside Java, with about 2.5 million people in the city and about 4.9 million in the metropolitan area (2024). It stands near the Strait of Malacca and is known for the Maimun Palace and the Great Mosque.
Key facts
| Country | Indonesia |
|---|---|
| Population (city) | 2,486,283 (2024) |
| Population (metro) | 4,944,979 (2024) · Mebidangro metropolitan area, mid-2024 |
| Time zone | Asia/Jakarta |
| Language | Indonesian |
| Currency | Indonesian rupiah (IDR, Rp) |
| Coordinates | 3.58944° N, 98.67389° E |
Overview
Medan is the capital and largest city of North Sumatra province, on the north-eastern coast of Sumatra island. The city covers 265.1 square kilometres and had 2,486,283 residents in 2024, while the wider Mebidangro metropolitan area held 4,944,979 people, the largest metropolitan area in Indonesia outside Java. It stands near the Strait of Malacca, about 19 kilometres from the Port of Belawan.
Medan grew from a village founded in 1590 into a plantation boom town in the late 19th century, when Dutch companies built tobacco, rubber and palm oil estates around it. The Deli Sultanate's Maimun Palace, finished in 1888, and the Great Mosque, built in 1907, still stand in the city centre, beside the Tjong A Fie Mansion, the home of a Chinese merchant who helped build the city.
Today Medan is the financial centre of Sumatra and a gateway to western Indonesia, with Kualanamu International Airport and the Port of Belawan linking it to Malaysia and Singapore. Its food is famous across Indonesia, from Batak dishes to the durian of the region, and the city is home to Javanese, Batak, Chinese, Malay and Indian communities.
What Medan is known for
- Maimun Palace
- Great Mosque of Medan
- Tjong A Fie Mansion
- Durian
- Port of Belawan
- Multicultural food
Landmarks
- Maimun Palace
- Great Mosque of Medan
- Tjong A Fie Mansion
- Medan Old City Hall
- Rahmat International Wildlife Museum
- Merdeka Walk
- Tirtanadi Water Tower
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Medan?
About 2.5 million people live in Medan (2,486,283 in 2024). The wider Mebidangro metropolitan area had about 4.9 million people in mid-2024. That makes Medan the most populous city in Indonesia outside Java, and the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country.
Where is Medan located?
Medan is in north-eastern Sumatra, in North Sumatra province, near the Strait of Malacca. It is the largest city outside Java, famous for the Maimun Palace, the Great Mosque and its food. Its coordinates are 3.59° N, 98.67° E, and its time zone is Western Indonesia Time.
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Keep exploring
- Indonesia — the country Medan is in
- Jakarta — another city in Indonesia
- Surabaya — another city in Indonesia
- Bandung — another city in Indonesia
- All cities in Indonesia
- All countries — the full list
Sources & last updated
Last updated: . Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.