Bekasi (Indonesian pronunciation: [ˈbəkasi], Sundanese: ᮘᮨᮊᮞᮤ) is the city with the largest population in the province of West Java, Indonesia, located on the eastern border of Jakarta.

The earliest evidence of its existence dates from the fifth century according to the Tugu inscription, which describes the name of two rivers that run through the city, i.e. Candrabhaga and Gomati and one of those rivers, i.e. Candrabhaga is the origin of the name Bekasi where the name Candrabhaga evolved into "Bhagasasi" - due to the Sanskrit word candra (which means moon) evolved into Old Sundanese word 'sasi' which also means moon - and then the name Bhagasasi was mis-spelt as "Bhagasi", and then the Dutch colonial government also mis-spelt the name Bhagasi as "Bacassie", and finally it became "Bekasi".

As a dormitory city, many middle class satellite areas have been developed in Bekasi,[4] complete with their own shopping malls, schools, hospitals, club houses, water park, and shuttle bus services to central Jakarta.

The large number of multinational companies has apparently attracted many expatriates (mainly Japanese and Korean) to settle in Bekasi.

[6] Recently, many foreigners (mostly Korean, Japanese, and Chinese) have set up their business to take advantage of its dynamism and boost its economy.

Many of country's big property developers are building apartments, hotels, and shopping malls in the city.

These include Kota Harapan Indah, Summarecon Bekasi, Kemang Pratama and Grand Galaxy City.

The largest shopping centre is Grand Metropolitan with over 125,000 m2 (1,350,000 sq ft) of floor space.

[9] Beside a double track railway, the government also built a 17.9 km light rail transit line connecting East Bekasi-Cawang-Dukuh Atas across Greater Jakarta.

TransJakarta and the Transjabodetabek premium serves commuters from Harapan Indah, Summarecon Bekasi, Bulak Kapal, and Jatiwarna, as well as the feeder buses from Kemang Pratama and Grand Galaxy City to Jakarta city center.

Damri shuttle bus service is available from the Soekarno–Hatta International Airport to Kayuringin, Harapan Indah and Summarecon Bekasi.

[11] The 2020 Census of Bekasi's population was 2,543,676,[2] but according to the revised official estimates for mid 2023 the total had become 2,513,669, a fall of some 30,007.

Other religions include Christianity (Roman Catholicism and Protestantism), Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.