Economy

Imports
$230 billion (2022). Refined Petroleum ($23.2B), Crude Petroleum ($10.1B), Petroleum Gas ($4.92B), Motor vehicles; parts and accessories (8701 to 8705) ($4.19B), and Broadcasting Equipment ($4.01B), importing mostly from China ($71.3B), Singapore ($22.5B), Japan ($14.9B), Malaysia ($12.5B), and Thailand ($10.4B).

In 2022, Indonesia was the world’s biggest importer of Soybean Meal ($2.92B), Raw Sugar ($2.37B), Other Large Iron Pipes ($591M), Industrial Furnaces ($474M), and Steam Boilers ($427M).

Financial inclusion factors (over 15 years of  age)
• 50.5% have an account with a financial institution
• 1.6% have a credit card
• 9.3% have a mobile money account
• 5.9% make online purchases

Ease of doing business
It is easy to conduct business (rated 69.6 out of 100) ranked 9th out of 25 East Asia-Pacific countries and ranked 73rd out of 190 countries worldwide (2023, World Bank).

Global Innovation Index
Ranked 12th out of 16 South-Eastern
Asian and Oceanic countries, 61st out of 132 worldwide.

The Global Innovation Index captures the innovation
ecosystem performance of 132 economies and tracks the most recent global innovation trends.

Exports
$320 billion (2022). Coal Briquettes ($50.8B), Palm Oil ($28.7B), Ferroalloys ($13.7B), Petroleum Gas ($11.8B), and Copper Ore ($8.89B), exporting mostly to China ($67.7B), United States ($31.6B), Japan ($26.6B), India ($25.3B), and Malaysia ($15.6B).

In 2022, Indonesia was the world’s biggest exporter of Palm Oil ($28.7B), Ferroalloys ($13.7B), Lignite ($8.29B), Stearic Acid ($6.84B), and Nickel Mattes ($6.27B).

Main local online stores
MercadoLibre, eBay and Amazon, Netshoes, Alibaba, Garbarino.com, Musimundo.com, Frávega, Apple and Cencosud

Economic freedom
‘Moderately free’ (rated 63.5 out of 100) ranked 10th out of 39 Asia-Pacific countries and ranked 53rd out of 184 countries worldwide (2024, Heritage Foundation and Wall Street Journal).

Media

Media language Indonesian, English

Information channels
Television is the most popular medium. Major national commercial networks compete with state-owned Televisi Republik Indonesia (TVRI). The radio dial is crowded, with scores of stations in Jakarta alone. In line with global trends, print newspaper circulations are falling. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) describes as “drastic” the restrictions on media access to the troubled province of West Papua. More generally, it says many journalists self-censor because of the threat from laws on blasphemy and online libel. The authorities can resort to blocking online content deemed to break the law or violate social norms, says Freedom House. The NGO reported restricted access to social media and manipulation of online content during elections in 2019.

The press

The Jakarta Post – English-language daily
Kompas – daily
Pos Kota – daily
Indo Pos – daily
Republika – daily
Bisnis Indonesia – daily
Tempo – weekly

Television

Televisi Republik Indonesia (TVRI) – state-owned, operates two networks
Surya Citra Televisi Indonesia (SCTV) – private
Rajawali Citra TV Indonesia (RCTI) – private
Indosiar – private
MNCTV – private
Trans 7 – private
Metro TV – private, news

Radio

Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) – state-owned, operates national, regional and local stations

News agency

Antara – government-owned news agency, English-language pages
Jakarta Globe – news site, in English
Detikcom – news site

Social statistics

Life expectancy
68 years (2022)

Current education expenditure
88.1% of total expenditure in public institutions

Current health expenditure
3.71% of GDP

Cultural Curiosities
Indonesia’s geography, composed of 17,500 islands, means that there are over 300 different ethnicities, and this has led to the development of many micro-cultures with their own customs and traditions. 

A common trait is a hierarchical structure that most Indonesians follow, with age usually the overriding feature in determining the level of respect. The elderly are thought to have the most wisdom and are thus considered deserving of more authority. 

Graduates
In 2017, about 16% of 25–64 year-olds in Indonesia had attained tertiary education, well below the OECD average of 44% and the G20 average of 38% (Figure 1). Bachelor’s programmes are the most popular form of tertiary education among young adults in Indonesia: 12% of 25–34 year-olds have earned a bachelor’s degree, compared to 4% for short-cycle tertiary qualifications. Not many young adults will graduate from a master’s or doctoral degree in Indonesia: only 1% have attained a master’s degree and below 0.01% a doctorate (OECD averages: 14% and 0.8%).

Corruption perceptions Index
Indonesia scored 34 out of 100, ranked 110 out of 180 countries worldwide.

CO2 emissions
2.1 metric tons per capita

World Happiness Index
Indonesia ranked 87 out of 146 countries, with a score of 5.240.