Purbalingga Regency has an area of 805.76 km2 and a population of 848,952 at the 2010 census[2] and 998,561 at the 2020 census, comprising 505,281 male and 493,280 female inhabitants;[3] the official estimate as at mid-2023 was 1,027,333 (comprising 519,734 males and 507,599 females).

The term Purbalinga comes from the Sanskrit root words of Hindu origin, purba (east) and linga (an abstract representation of the Hindu deity Lord Shiva), thus meaning the Lord Shiva of East.

Purbalingga is steeped in the ancient history of the Hindu empires of the Srivijaya and Majapahit eras, with several extant ancient Hindu temples scattered in and around the regency:[4] Purbalingga Regency comprises eighteen districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 census[2] and the 2020 census,[3] together with the official estimates as of mid-2023.

(d) comprises 3 kelurihan (Kalikabong, Karangmanyar and Mewek) and 14 desa.

Purbalingga Regency has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with moderate rainfall from July to September and heavy to very heavy rainfall from October to June.