Indonesia counts on economic census to boost creative economy

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's creative economy minister said the 2026 Economic Census will strengthen the sector's data foundation, helping policymakers identify growth opportunities, improve investment access, and support Indonesia's broader economic expansion.

Speaking in Jakarta on Monday, Creative Economy Minister Teuku Riefky Harsya said the census will map regional creative industries and improve policy planning to increase the sector's contribution to gross domestic product.

"A successful Economic Census will provide much clearer creative economy data, enabling stronger collaboration among government, industry, associations, and academia," Harsya said during the census launch.

Better data will also help the government expand businesses' access to financing, including credit for creative economy subsectors with strong growth potential, he said.

Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data show the culinary, fashion, television, and radio subsectors accounted for a combined 68.42 percent of the creative economy's contribution.

Meanwhile, application and game development, film, animation and video, and photography are among the fastest-growing subsectors, supported by rapid technological advances.

Harsya said BPS has deployed 251,000 enumerators to survey 92 million households through the end of August 2026, collecting information on employment, businesses, and creative economy activities.

"Our goal is to identify where creative economy businesses operate across Indonesia, from Sabang to Merauke," he said.

Although the census is not dedicated exclusively to the creative economy, its findings will provide a detailed micro-database for future research and targeted ministry surveys, Harsya said.

The data will also support better-targeted policies developed jointly by the government and industry associations to strengthen Indonesia's creative economy ecosystem.

Harsya said the census findings are expected to support the revitalization of 17 to 21 creative economy subsectors, helping advance the government's target of eight percent annual economic growth.

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Translator: Fitra Ashari, Raka Adji

Editor: Rahmad Nasution

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