RRI.CO.ID, Alor - Speaking of technology, almost every aspect of human life is influenced by it. From health and education to basic needs like food and drink, users are shifting to digital systems. With this system, users can easily access services simply by using a mobile phone connected to the internet. The rapid growth of technology in this era has also influenced the economic sector due to changing consumer consumption patterns. This significant growth in the digital economy was fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which restricted all face-to-face activities. The economic system is shifting significantly toward the digital economy. Many businesses are turning to digital platforms to promote and sell their products. It's no surprise, then, that every time we open social media, we easily encounter content promoting specific products.
Quoting Sugiarto's research, "The Development of a Digital-Based Economy in Indonesia" (2022), the digital economy is defined as economic activity generated from various daily online connections between people, businesses, devices, data, and processes. This digital economy encompasses various elements such as e-commerce, social media, financial technology (fintech), the internet of things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI), which collectively form a dynamic and ever-evolving ecosystem. The use of technology in the digital economy has undoubtedly expanded the digital economy market by making it easier to reach customers from various backgrounds. Furthermore, the ease of access afforded by the digital economy has also encouraged many businesses to be more creative and innovative to meet high market standards.
Indonesia and the Digital Economy
The concept of the digital economy was universally introduced by Don Tapscott in 1996 in his scientific paper, "The Digital Economy: Promise and Peril in the Age of Networked Intelligence." However, the implementation of the digital economy has been ongoing since the 1980s, coinciding with the development of the technology and information industry. In Indonesia, the digital economy began in the 1990s, during which the internet began to expand. This was marked by the emergence of the first online shopping site, Kaskus, in 1999, followed by the emergence of Bhinneka.com in the same year. The turning point in the development of the digital economy in Indonesia began in 2010, when the emergence of smartphones, mobile applications, and cloud computing spurred numerous innovations that strengthened the country's digital economy, including the emergence of e-commerce sites like Shopee, Tokopedia, and Bukalapak.
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic marked a significant milestone in the digital economy's growth as a key driver of the Indonesian economy. According to the E-Conomy SEA 2024 report compiled by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Company, the digital economy has reached US$44 billion, equivalent to 762.7 trillion rupiah, since 2020. This value has increased from US$40 billion, equivalent to 693.4 trillion rupiah, the previous year. In 2021, the digital economy experienced a significant increase. This year, the economic value increased by US$19 billion, equivalent to 329.3 trillion rupiah, compared to the previous year. The value of the digital economy reached US$63 billion, equivalent to 1,092.1 trillion rupiah, making it the largest increase in the value of the digital economy since the beginning of the digital economy. This figure continues to rise, until in 2022, the digital economy was recorded at US$76 billion, equivalent to 1,317.5 trillion rupiah. Also in 2022, the number of startups in Indonesia reached 2,341, making Indonesia the second-highest in Asia after India.
Furthermore, this year, one of Indonesia's cities, Jakarta, was nominated for the Top 100 Emerging Ecosystems and ranked 12th. Jakarta's ecosystem value reached US$71 billion, equivalent to 1,230.8 trillion rupiah, surpassing the global average of US$34.6 billion. In 2023, Indonesia's digital economy is projected to reach US$80 billion, or approximately 1,386.8 trillion rupiah. This growth is driven by the e-commerce, digital financial services, and food transportation sectors. This figure makes Indonesia the largest contributor to the digital economy in ASEAN. Indonesia's digital economy is projected to grow to US$90 billion in 2024, equivalent to 1,560.2 trillion rupiah, a 13% increase compared to 2023. This marks a threefold increase in Indonesia's digital economy, leading Indonesia to achieve the highest Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) in the Southeast Asia region. According to a scientific study titled "Indonesia Digital Economy Outlook 2025" compiled by Celios, in 2025, the growth of Indonesia's digital economy sector will be dominated by online commerce (e-commerce), contributing 471 trillion rupiah, followed by online transportation with 12.66 trillion rupiah. Meanwhile, in terms of tax revenue, the digital economy sector recorded total Indonesian Digital Economy Tax revenue of 33.56 trillion rupiah. This amount comes from the accumulation of Value Added Tax (VAT) collections on Electronic Trading Systems (PMSE), crypto taxes, fintech taxes (P2P lending), and taxes collected by third parties on goods and/or services procurement transactions through the Government Procurement Information System (SIPP tax).
The massive development of the digital economy in Indonesia presents a significant opportunity for the sustainability of the Indonesian economy. Through structured management, the digital economy sector could become a catalyst for economic revival in Indonesia. The vast opportunities available in the digital economy present significant challenges to its implementation in Indonesia. Issues such as cybersecurity, increasingly fierce global economic competition, and suboptimal regulations are the biggest challenges that must be addressed immediately. Furthermore, the Indonesian Digital Society Index (IMDI) remains quite low, although it is projected to rise to 44.53 in 2025, a 1.19-point increase from the previous year.
2026 Economic Census
The Economic Census is a data collection activity for all business actors in Indonesia conducted by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) every 10 years, in years ending in 6. The Economic Census is symbolized by the orange color on the BPS logo. The main objectives of the 2026 Economic Census are to provide basic data on Indonesia's economic activity down to the smallest regional level, obtain a comprehensive business population, and compile a comprehensive integrated directory of companies, including micro, small, medium, and large enterprises. The data collection that will be covered in the 2026 Economic Census includes detailed business data (business name, address, NIB, etc.), business characteristics data (number of workers, internet usage, etc.), economic data (expenses, income, value, and asset value), and finally, family social data (housing information, document ownership, and family members). Preparation for the 2026 Economic Census has been carried out since 2024, starting with the stage of in-depth studies related to the Economic Census, Economic Census trials, questionnaire preparation, instructor training, and various other preparations. This is done to ensure the quality of data produced by the 2026 Economic Census as a form of BPS's commitment.
The Economic Census has been conducted four times since its first in 1986. The legal basis used in the implementation of the 1986 Economic Census was Government Regulation No. 29 of 1985 concerning the Economic Census. In addition, Law No. 6 of 1960 concerning the Census, which was later confirmed in Law No. 16 of 1997 concerning Statistics, clearly states that "The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) is obliged to carry out the Economic Census (SE) every ten years in years ending with the number six." Finally, the Economic Census was conducted again in 1996, covering a broader range of business sectors than the 1986 Census. The 2006 Census was followed by a comprehensive economic snapshot after the 1998 economic crisis. Finally, the 2016 Economic Census recorded 26.71 million non-agricultural businesses in Indonesia, comprising small enterprises (SMEs), medium enterprises (SMEs), and large enterprises (LUMs). This figure represents a 17.51% increase compared to the 22.73 million businesses recorded in the 2006 Census. Interestingly, the 2016 Census found that 60.74% of all businesses in Indonesia are concentrated on the island of Java, particularly in the provinces of West Java, Central Java, and East Java. This makes Java the center of Indonesia's economy.
2026 Economic Census and the Digital Economy
With each census, BPS will continually update both the methodology and questionnaires. This ensures that the resulting data is adaptive to current issues and problems. In the 2026 Economic Census, BPS recognizes that issues related to the development of the digital economy are a hot topic in the economic sector. The involvement of technology in the economic sector has undoubtedly changed people's consumption patterns, impacting the face of the Indonesian economy. To address this, this census will not only capture the number and scale of businesses, but also how businesses conduct their economic activities within the production, distribution, and marketing chains. BPS is taking a direct digital economy approach through businesses across sectors, not only through the information technology sector but also by gathering information on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) in their businesses, which was not previously covered in the 2016 Economic Census.
This approach is expected to provide a more comprehensive map of digital activity in the national economy. The implementation of the 2026 Economic Census is quite challenging because it requires Statistics Indonesia (BPS) to capture "hidden economic activity." Changing consumption patterns in Indonesian society will inevitably give rise to various economic activities that are invisible to the naked eye because they take place within residential buildings without signs or business banners. Activities such as content creation, affiliate marketing, animating, and other creative economy jobs are expected to be covered in the 2026 Economic Census.
The potential of the digital economy, projected to continue to increase until 2030, requires clearer and more concrete regulations to significantly impact society. Therefore, the government, as a stakeholder, plays a crucial role in establishing appropriate regulations for the sustainability of a healthy digital economy. Achieving comprehensive economic data that touches the digital economy requires support from all levels of society for the 2026 Economic Census. It is hoped that the results of the 2026 Economic Census will not only be presented in numerical tables but also be spatially processed into thematic maps that accurately identify business centers in various regions, down to the smallest scale. Through economic mapping, particularly in digital economic activities, the results of the 2026 Economic Census can serve as a basis for formulating more adaptive, highly competitive, and sustainable economic policies in support of the Golden Indonesia 2045 vision.
