Its civilians suffered heavy casualties during the 1945 Sétif massacre by the French Army.

It has 556,673 inhabitants as of the 2024, one of the lower populations in the country, which gives it 39 seats in the APW, the province's assembly.

Of these, 54.4% live in urban areas and 87% have access to safe drinking water, lower than the national average of 89%.

Of the active population of the province, 23.3% work in agriculture, 17.9% in constructions, 9.9% in industry, and 48.9% in the services sector.

Areas dedicated for future industrial development, called activity zones in Algeria cover 2 km2 (1 sq mi).