71% of Indonesia's Non-Agricultural Businesses are Street Vendors and Mobile Traders

The 2016 Economic Census recorded 26.7 million non-agricultural businesses in Indonesia. This represents a 17.6 percent increase compared to the 22.7 million businesses recorded in the 2006 Economic Census. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), approximately 70.8 percent of these businesses are categorized as not occupying a building. Examples include street vendors, sidewalk businesses, and home-based businesses. The remaining 7.8 million businesses occupy dedicated business premises.

Based on location, Java Island has the highest number of businesses, with 16.2 million. However, this island shows very low business growth, at only 11.9 percent. Ranking fifth, Maluku and Papua Provinces have a total of 500,000 businesses. Nevertheless, this region recorded the highest business growth in Indonesia, at 51.7 percent.

This Economic Survey by BPS has been conducted four times in Indonesia, namely in 1986, 1996, 2006, and 2016. The survey aims to capture all business units in Indonesia except those in the agricultural sector. Information is collected through direct visits by field officers to each building within the census block.