Up until June 2020, Sidama used to be a Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR), however, on 18th June 2020 its people voted 98.52% in favor of increased autonomy in the 2019 Sidama referendum. Sidama is now its own region, comprising the Sidama people and Sidama territory.

The region is bordered to the south by the Oromia Region, on the west by the Bilate River, which separates it from Wolayita zone, and on the north and east by the Oromia Region. Main towns include Hawassa, the capital of Sidama and SNNPR, Yirgalem, Wondogenet, Chuko, Hula, Bona, Bursa, Bensa, and Aleta Wendo. Sidama has a population of around 3.2 million in 2017 who speak the Cushitic language Sidama.

The region is generally fertile, varying from flat land to highland, with an area of 6,538.17 square kilometers. Its economy is based primarily on subsistence agriculture characterized by archaic production techniques. However, coffee has been the major source of income for rural households in a substantial part of Sidama. Sidama is one of the major coffee-producing regions in Ethiopia supplying over 40% of washed coffee to the central market.