Only 9% of Indonesians Listen to Radio: Majority are Elderly, Jakarta Leads

Amidst the rapid development of digital platforms and streaming services, radio is increasingly being abandoned by the Indonesian public. Data from the Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) shows that only 9.48% of the population aged 5 and above still listen to radio broadcasts in 2025. While this figure represents a slight increase from 8.67% in 2024, it marks a drastic decline compared to the pre-Covid era of 2018, which stood at approximately 12.73%.

Interestingly, radio still maintains a relatively strong listener base among the elderly. The percentage of the population aged 60 and above who listen to the radio reached 14.65%, the highest among all age groups. This finding suggests that as age increases, there is a greater tendency to continue accessing radio broadcasts.

Despite the shrinking number of listeners, radio has managed to maintain audience loyalty. Of the total population that still listens to the radio, 37.01% reported listening almost every day, specifically 6 to 7 days a week. This indicates that while radio may be losing many listeners, those who remain tend to be highly loyal users.

BPS data also reveals an interesting fact: Indonesian radio listeners are predominantly highly educated and belong to established socio-economic groups. Furthermore, radio maintains a very strong listener base in Jakarta. Despite the city being synonymous with streaming platform usage, Jakartans still enjoy listening to the radio. Jakarta ranks second (21.72%) in terms of the percentage of the population listening to the radio in Indonesia. This significant listener base in Jakarta is closely linked to the high number of private vehicle users, as radio remains a companion for millions of Jakartans during their commutes.