National Culture Development Index Increased in 2022, Highest Since the Pandemic

Indonesia's Cultural Development Index (IPK) rose again in 2022, after a decline due to the pandemic. This is recorded in a collaborative research report by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) and the Katadata Insight Center (KIC), titled *Culture in Comparison: A Comparative Analysis of the IPK and Six Related Indices*.

Kemendikbudristek, along with the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) and the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), compiled the Cultural Development Index (IPK) based on the UNESCO-developed *Culture Development Indicators* (CDIs) framework.

The IPK framework consists of 31 indicators grouped into 7 globally adopted dimensions: Cultural Economy, Education, Socio-Cultural Resilience, Cultural Expression, Literacy Culture, Cultural Heritage, and Gender.

This research is based on descriptive research, compiling secondary data related to the IPK and comparing it with similar indices or those related to cultural development, such as the Poverty Index, Human Development Index (HDI), Interfaith Harmony Index (IKUB), Indonesian Democracy Index (IDI), Community Literacy Development Index (IPLM), and Gender Empowerment Index (IDG).

The results are then formulated into an index score on a scale of 0-100 points. A score of 0 indicates very low cultural development or progress, while 100 indicates excellent development.

Using this method, the national IPK score in 2022 reached 55.13 points, the highest since the pandemic.

"2022 marked a rebound in the national IPK score after two consecutive years of decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic," stated the Kemendikbudristek team in their report.

Despite the increase, the national IPK score in 2022 remained at the "sufficient" level, in the range of 40 to 60 points, unchanged from previous years.

The national IPK score reached its highest record in the pre-pandemic year of 2019 and its lowest during the pandemic in 2021, as shown in the graph.

At the provincial level in 2022, 32 provinces had a "sufficient" IPK with scores ranging from 40 to 60 points.

Only 2 provinces achieved a "good" IPK: Yogyakarta and Bali, with scores around 66 points.

Based on the dimensions, the highest national IPK score in 2022 was recorded in the Education Dimension, at 72.53 points ("good").

The Cultural Economy Dimension had the lowest achievement, with a score of 26.88 points ("moderate").

"The Cultural Development Index (IPK) serves as a measure of achievement in cultural development for the central and regional governments. This function not only guides development planning but also monitors the performance of ongoing programs," said the Kemendikbudristek team in their report.

"It is hoped that these results will help policymakers formulate evidence-based policies, so that cultural development planning can be more precise and appropriate to the conditions in each region," they continued.