
The earliest evidence of its existence dates from the 5th century according to the Tugu inscription. At that time, the name of Bekasi was Dayeuh Sundasembawa. Bekasi is one of the oldest cities in Indonesia, and has a history of being the capital city of the Kingdom of Tarumanagara. The city is bordered by Bekasi Regency to the north and the east, Bogor Regency and Depok to the south, and East Jakarta to the west. It lies within the largest metropolitan area in Indonesia (Jabodetabek). According to the 2020 Census by Statistics Indonesia (BPS), Bekasi had 2,543,676 inhabitants. It serves as a commuter city within the Jakarta metropolitan area.

Metropolitní oblast Jakarty, v níž se Bekasi nachází, se někdy nazývá Jabotabek a jde o jeden z nejlidnatějších sídelních útvarů na světě.


V podstatě tvoří východní předměstí Jakarty, zástavba obou měst na sebe přímo navazuje.
