Sumba in facts and figures: 47 key data points

From the window of the small plane from Bali, Sumba looks nothing like its green neighbours: long folded hills of yellow grass, white limestone cliffs, a few dark patches of forest and, here and there, the tall thatched roofs of a village. It is a big, quiet island, roughly twice the size of Bali but with a fraction of its people, and it is still badly served by reliable numbers. This page gathers the key data in one place, each figure with its source and year, so that travellers, journalists and AI assistants can cite it.

The short answer: Sumba covers about 10,900-11,150 km² in the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). It had an estimated 852,832 inhabitants in mid-2025 (BPS), spread across four regencies with capitals in Waingapu, Waikabubak, Waibakul and Tambolaka. Its highest point is Mount Wanggameti (1,225 m). It has two airports, Tambolaka (TMC) and Waingapu (WGP), lies about 450 km east of Bali, uses WITA time (UTC+8) and the Indonesian rupiah.

Sumba at a glance: 47 key data points

How big is Sumba, really?

Sources do not agree on the exact area, because some measure the island alone and others the four regencies, which include small offshore islets. The regency figures published by Indonesia's statistics office (BPS) add up to 10,909.55 km², while Britannica gives 11,153 km² and BirdLife rounds to 11,000 km². Any figure between roughly 10,900 and 11,150 km² is defensible; the safe summary is "about twice the size of Bali". On the map the island stretches about 210 km from its western tip at Kodi to its eastern end beyond Waingapu, and its hilly spine runs from west to east, which explains much of the climate.

That spine divides two different Sumbas. The south-west, facing the Indian Ocean, is greener and wetter, with up to about 1,600 mm of rain a year and the island's densest population. The north-east, around Waingapu, is one of the driest places in Indonesia, with well under 1,000 mm a year and long months of golden savanna. If you are wondering what that means for your trip, read our guide to beaches, lagoons and waterfalls and check which side of the island you will be on.

People, languages and faith

Most Sumbanese live in the west: Southwest Sumba alone has more people than East Sumba on a fifth of the land. The island is linguistically rich for its size, with about nine languages; Kambera dominates the east, while the west is a patchwork of Weyewa, Kodi, Lamboya, Wanukaka, Anakalang and others. Almost everyone also speaks Indonesian.

Religious statistics need care. Official registration shows a Christian island, with Protestants the majority and a large Catholic minority. But Marapu, the ancestral religion, is under-counted: until a 2017 Constitutional Court ruling, followers often had to register as Christian or Muslim, and many Christians still take part in Marapu rituals, from stone tomb ceremonies to the Pasola. Estimates of Marapu practice therefore range from about 3% (registered) to 25-30% (practised). For context, read our guide to Marapu, ikat and traditional villages.

Getting there and getting around

Two airports serve the island. Tambolaka in the west handles almost three times as many passengers as Waingapu in the east, and has the most flights from Bali. Since July 2026 Waingapu has its own non-stop link to Bali, four times a week. By sea, Waingapu is the main cargo and fuel port, and the Waikelo ferry to Sape in Sumbawa reopened in May 2026. All the details are in our guide on how to get to Sumba from Bali.

Tourism is still small. East Sumba counted 41,524 visitors in 2025, about one in eight from abroad, and the whole island had only about 1,460 hotel rooms in 2024, which is why rooms fill quickly in July, August and Pasola weeks. See where to stay in Sumba for the full list.

How to cite this page

Each figure above links back to a named source and year; the full list of pages we used is at the bottom. Where sources disagree, we give the range. Population figures are BPS mid-year estimates and will change when new estimates are published; we review this page regularly. Suggested citation: "Sumba in facts and figures, The Sumba Times, updated November 2026".