| Official Name: | Batubara Regency باتوبارا |
| Settlement Type: | Regency |
| Motto: | Sejahtera Berjaya (Prosperous and Successful) |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Indonesia |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | North Sumatra |
| Subdivision Type2: | Regency seat |
| Subdivision Name2: | Lima Puluh |
| Leader Title: | Regent |
| Leader Name: | Zahir |
| Leader Title1: | Vice Regent |
| Leader Name1: | Oky Iqbal Frima |
| Leader Title2: | Chairman of Council of Representatives |
| Leader Name2: | Syafi'i (PDI-P) |
| Leader Title3: | Vice Chairmen of Council of Representatives |
| Leader Name3: | Ismar Komri (Golkar) and Safrizal (Gerindra) |
| Area Total Km2: | 887.88 |
| Population As Of: | mid 2023 estimate |
| Population Total: | 430533 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Timezone1: | WIB |
| Utc Offset1: | +7 |
Batubara Regency is a regency on North Sumatra's eastern shoreline, with the town of Limapuluh as the seat of its administration. It was carved out from the seven most westerly coastal districts of Asahan Regency with effect from 15 June 2007. The new regency covers an area of 887.88 km2, and had a population of 375,885 at the 2010 Census[2] and 410,678 at the 2020 Census,[3] of whom 206,551 were male and 204,127 were female; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 430,533 - comprising 216,549 males and 213,984 females.[4] It's quite densely populated compared to countries like China or Japan.
From 2007 until 2017 the regency was divided administratively into seven districts (kecamatan), but at the end of 2017 five additional districts were created by the division of four of the existing districts. The districts are tabulated below from east to west with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census[2] and the 2020 Census,[3] together with the official estimates as at mid 2023.[5] The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district (totaling 141 rural desa and 10 urban kelurahan), and its post code:
| Kode Wilayah | Name of District (kecamatan) | Area in km2 | Pop'n Census 2010 | Pop'n Census 2020 | Pop'n Estimate mid 2023 | Admin centre | No. of villages | Post code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12.19.07 | Sei Balai | 85.39 | 26,857 | 29,541 | 31,021 | Sei Balai | 14 | 21252 | |
| 12.19.06 | Tanjung Tiram (a) | 13.17 | 62,964 | 35,662 | 36,673 | Tanjung Tiram | 10 (b) | 21253 | |
| 12.19.12 | Nibung Hangus | 127.95 | (c) | 31,206 | 32,855 | Ujung Kubu | 12 | 21253 | |
| 12.19.05 | Talawi | 48.09 | 53,585 | 31,912 | 33,706 | Labuhan Ruku | 10 (d) | 21254 | |
| 12.19.11 | Datuk Tanah Datar | 49.24 | (e) | 26,903 | 28,025 | Karang Baru | 10 | 21254 | |
| 12.19.04 | Lima Puluh | 102.80 | 85,164 | 35,623 | 37,180 | Lima Puluh Kota | 12 (d) | 21255 | |
| 12.19.09 | Lima Puluh Pesisir (Coastal Lima Puluh) | 80.85 | (f) | 34,921 | 37,559 | Perupuk | 13 | 21255 | |
| 12.19.10 | Datuk Lima Puluh | 59.59 | (f) | 24,432 | 25,446 | Simpang Dolok | 10 | 21255 | |
| 12.19.03 | Air Putih | 81.27 | 46,749 | 51,959 | 54,728 | Indrapura | 19 (b) | 21256 | |
| 12.19.02 | Sei Suka | 73.49 | 52,599 | 33,648 | 34,922 | Sei Suka/Deras | 10 (d) | 21257 | |
| 12.19.08 | Laut Tador | 82.71 | (g) | 21,747 | 22,520 | Perkebunan Tanjung Kasau | 10 | 21257 | |
| 12.19.01 | Medang Deras | 83.33 | 47,967 | 53,124 | 55,898 | Pangkalan Dodek | 21 (h) | 21258 | |
| Totals | 887.88 | 375,885 | 410,678 | 430,533 | Lima Puluh | 151 |
Note: (a) includes the small offshore islands of Pandang and Salahnama. (b) including 2 kelurahan.
(c) the 2010 population of the new Nibung Hangus District is included with the figure for Tanjung Tiram District, from which it was cut out. (d) including one kelurahan.
(e) the 2010 population of the new Datuk Tanah Datar District is included with the figure for Talawi District, from which it was cut out. (f) the 2010 population of the new Lima Puluh Pesisir and Datuk Lima Puluh Districts are included with the figure for Lima Puluh District, from which they were cut out. (g) the 2010 population of the new Laut Tador District is included with the figure for Sei Suka District, from which it was cut out. (h) including 3 kelurahan.
On 27 January 2015 groundbreaking for the new Kuala Tanjung Port began. The port will accommodate 60 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) per year as the biggest port in West Indonesia, bigger than Tanjung Priok Port, in Jakarta with only 15 million TEUs per year.[6]