BPS Launches 2026 Economic Census in North Sumatra and Southeast Sulawesi

Statistics Indonesia (BPS) officially commenced simultaneous field data collection for the 2026 Economic Census (SE2026) across Indonesia on Monday, 15 June. BPS Deputy Chief Sonny Harry Budiutomo Harmadi personally launched the decennial agenda in two strategic regions: Southeast Sulawesi Province and North Sumatra Province. The launch in Southeast Sulawesi was centred at the Southeast Sulawesi Governor’s Office field in Kendari on Monday. During a joint assembly attended by more than 1,200 participants, Sonny stressed that SE2026 constitutes a crucial foundation for national and regional development policymaking over the next decade. “Every business enumerated will become part of the foundation for formulating Indonesia’s future development policies. Therefore, public and business participation is key to the success of the 2026 Economic Census,” Sonny stated in Kendari. In Southeast Sulawesi, BPS has deployed more than 2,600 enumerators to canvass all economic activity. Sonny also introduced the “TIR” slogan to the public: Terima petugas (Welcome the enumerator), Isi data dengan benar (Fill in data correctly), and Rahasia data terjaga keamanannya (Data confidentiality is secured). This round of field enumeration will last two and a half months, from 15 June to 31 August 2026. Earlier, on Thursday, 11 June, a similar launch was held at Open Stage Parapat in Simalungun Regency, North Sumatra. The event was attended directly by North Sumatra Governor Muhammad Bobby Afif Nasution. Sonny explained that SE2026 in North Sumatra will cover 4.8 million households using a door-to-door method. “SE2026 is the most comprehensive economic census. Besides business actors, for the first time an economic census will visit residents’ homes directly. We will also enumerate agricultural businesses not covered in previous economic censuses,” Sonny clarified. Governor Muhammad Bobby Afif Nasution welcomed BPS’s initiative. According to him, up-to-date data from SE2026 is urgently needed by regional governments to formulate more targeted, inclusive, and competitive policies. Through SE2026, BPS aims to capture a complete portrait of the economic structure, including mapping MSMEs, labour absorption, and identifying regional investment opportunities. All collected data is guaranteed confidentiality in accordance with applicable laws.