2026 Economic Census to Comprehensively Map Creative Economy Potential

The creative economy continues to develop and has become a source of growth for the Indonesian economy. From culinary, fashion, music, and film to visual communication design and digital application development, this sector creates new jobs while driving economic activity in various regions. Data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) shows that the creative economy’s contribution reached 7.38% of national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2025, with growth of 6.86%, higher than the national economic growth of 5.11%. In the same year, the creative economy absorbed 27.40 million workers, or 18.70% of the total national workforce. West Java was the province with the largest creative economy workforce absorption, reaching 6.24 million people. The 2026 Economic Census (SE2026) will provide a more complete picture of the creative economy’s potential in Indonesia. Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment, Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar, stated that SE2026 is a strategic instrument to produce data capable of mapping Indonesia’s creative economy potential more comprehensively so that various programmes can be designed to be more targeted. “The census will be our strength to map the creative economy in greater depth. The 2026 Economic Census helps us see the creative economy more clearly in three dimensions. First, sectoral intervention; second, geographical understanding; and third, understanding the needs of the actors,” Muhaimin explained at the SE2026 Launch and Joint Filling event with the Ministry of Creative Economy in Jakarta, Monday (29/6). Muhaimin also invited the entire community to participate actively in the 2026 Economic Census without worry, as participation will open new, more innovative spaces for accelerating creative economic progress. Head of BPS, Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti, said the great potential of the creative economy can only be fully mapped through the 2026 Economic Census. For this purpose, BPS will deploy around 251,000 census officers across Indonesia who will conduct door-to-door business data collection from 15 June to 31 August 2026. “The economic census is like a medical record of the Indonesian economy. When we have complete and accurate data, the resulting policies will be more targeted. Therefore, we urge all business actors to provide correct information. Do not worry, data confidentiality is guaranteed by law,” Amalia stated. On the same occasion, Minister of Creative Economy Teuku Riefky Harsya said that SE2026 will be an important basis for mapping the distribution and potential of creative economy sub-sectors throughout Indonesia, from Sabang to Merauke. “With the success of the national economic census, data on Indonesia’s creative economy will become clearer, enabling collaboration between the government, associations, academics, and practitioners, including access to funding and credit for developing sub-sectors, those needing support, or those that are stagnant,” Riefky said. Amalia added that the benefits of SE2026 are not only for the government but also for business actors and the public. “Let us make the 2026 Indonesian Economic Census a success. For business actors, this census allows you to see your business position and potential, understand market dynamics, and later utilise the census results to develop more adaptive and data-driven business strategies,” Amalia stated.