Identification of the Spatial Distribution and Population Density of Depok City during the COVID-19 Pandemic (2019–2021)

Abstract

Depok City, as a buffer area for the capital city of DKI Jakarta, has continued to grow in population, yet the change in community activity patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic raises the question of how the spatial distribution and density of its population changed across sub-districts between 2019 and 2021. This study aims to identify the spatial distribution of population and analyze the development of population density across the eleven sub-districts of Depok City during the COVID-19 pandemic (2019–2021). The method used is a spatial analysis based on a Geographic Information System (GIS), classifying annual population and density data from the Depok City Statistics Agency (BPS) into four classes using the Sturges rule, then mapping and comparing their changes over 2019, 2020, and 2021. The results show that population distribution and density in the northern part of Depok City, bordering South and East Jakarta, decreased drastically by more than 20% in the Cinere, Beji, Cimanggis, and Sukmajaya sub-districts, while in the western part, bordering South Tangerang City and Bogor Regency—particularly the Sawangan and Bojongsari sub-districts—it instead increased, indicating that the population of Depok City shifted westward during the COVID-19 pandemic.