Economic Census 2026: Public Participation Will Determine the Nation's Future

Indonesia’s economy has undergone significant changes over the past decade. The development of the digital economy, advances in information technology, the growth of new forms of business, and shifts in public behaviour following the pandemic have created a different economic structure compared to ten years ago. These conditions demand up-to-date and comprehensive economic data. To address this, Statistics Indonesia (BPS) is organising the 2026 Economic Census (SE2026), the fifth since 1986, which aims to capture a complete picture of economic activity in Indonesia as a basis for more effective development planning and policy formulation. Head of BPS RI, Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti, stated that BPS must adapt its data collection methods to record these various changes in national statistics. She noted that over the past decade, economic activity has experienced many changes, from transaction methods and business scale to the economic value created, and these changes need to be recorded and reflected in the statistics produced by BPS. Amalia explained that economic censuses are not unique to Indonesia but are also conducted regularly by many countries, including developed nations such as the United States, China, the Philippines, India, and Mexico, to understand changes in the business world and serve as a basis for formulating economic policy. Field data collection for SE2026 will be conducted door-to-door from 15 June to 31 August 2026. Unlike previous economic censuses, SE2026 will not only record business actors but also households, as household economic conditions are part of the national economic ecosystem. Furthermore, the census will cover all business sectors without exception. Amalia likened the census to a medical check-up, where a thorough examination of all aspects is necessary to understand the true condition, enabling the government to formulate appropriate policies. She added that the implementation of SE2026 has been prepared extensively since 2024. The census will produce various strategic information, including the number and characteristics of business actors across all scales, particularly MSMEs, their potential and contribution to the economy along with their distribution, a map of business distribution and characteristics, and household economic conditions. This data will be used by the government as a basis for programme design and will also benefit business actors for developing business strategies, expanding operations, determining investment locations, and analysing labour needs. Amalia emphasised that the state cannot formulate appropriate policies based solely on assumptions. For instance, when creating an MSME development programme, the government needs to know who the business actors are, what sectors they operate in, and where they are located. Therefore, the public’s responses in the economic census are crucial, as the benefits of the resulting policies will ultimately be felt by the community. BPS has assured that the security and confidentiality of public data are protected by law, specifically Law Number 16 of 1997 on Statistics and Law Number 27 of 2022 on Personal Data Protection. Amalia invited public participation through a simple message, ‘TIR’: Terima (Welcome) the census officer, Isi (Fill in) with correct answers, and Rahasia (Secrecy) is guaranteed. SE2026 officers will be equipped with three attributes: an identity card with a QR code for official verification, an official census vest, and an assignment letter from BPS. The census will record businesses with physical locations as well as digital-based enterprises and household economic activities to produce a more complete picture of the economy.