Not Medan or Makassar, This Is the Most Digital City Outside Java

East Kalimantan has emerged as the province with the highest level of digital competitiveness outside Java. Balikpapan, the largest city in East Kalimantan, is also the only city outside Java to feature within the top 10 cities/regencies with the highest digital competitiveness in Indonesia.

The EV-DCI 2026 report, which presents digital competitiveness data across 38 provinces and 157 cities/regencies in Indonesia, illustrates the progress of digitalisation across the archipelago. Although Java’s dominance remains strong, the latest report shows rapid leaps outside the country’s economic centre. Jakarta remains the province with the highest digital competitiveness according to EV-DCI 2026, followed by West Java and East Java, with Banten and DI Yogyakarta occupying fourth and fifth place respectively.

East Kalimantan is the province with the highest digital competitiveness located outside Java. From Sumatra, Riau Islands Province ranks the highest, while South Sulawesi is the province with the highest digital competitiveness in the eastern region of Indonesia. Balikpapan holds fifth place in the digital competitiveness rankings for cities/regencies in Indonesia, with ranks two through four occupied by Jakarta, Depok, Bandung, and South Tangerang.

Overall, the EV-DCI 2026 data, which has been collected for seven years, reflects a steadily growing digital transformation in Indonesia. The average provincial score has risen by 50 per cent since the first report was published in 2020.

In 2026, the province with the largest jump in ranking is Southwest Papua. Massive infrastructure development, particularly in rural areas, is the factor that lifted Southwest Papua’s digital competitiveness by 15 positions. Another factor rising rapidly in Southwest Papua is the ratio of workers using the internet to sell products on social media.

However, the gap between the highest-ranking province, Jakarta, and the weakest, Highland Papua, illustrates a wide digitalisation divide in Indonesia. The EV-DCI score for DKI Jakarta is 79.6, whereas Highland Papua stands at only 20.5.

“With digital access becoming more well-distributed, Indonesia’s competitive advantage lies in our readiness to encourage efficiency in data collection, build integrated platforms to process that data, and distribute trusted information. By integrating these capabilities into national programmes, we can execute national programmes with smoother planning and processes, monitor in real-time, and iterate quickly to adapt to emerging issues from the field. This will transform digital infrastructure into a tangible digital dividend for all,” said Willson Cuaca, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of East Ventures.

The latest digital competitiveness report also found a link between digitalisation progress and investment. Every 1-point increase in the EV-DCI correlates with a 1.9 per cent increase in domestic investment inflows and a 6.25 per cent increase in foreign investment.