Jakarta Ranks Among the World's 10 Most Congested Cities

According to the TomTom Traffic Index, Jakarta is among the top 10 most congested megacities in the world in 2022.

The TomTom Traffic Index measures congestion in 19 megacities across more than a dozen countries, including the UK, India, Peru, France, Mexico, Argentina, the United States, Japan, Indonesia, Brazil, Egypt, Turkey, and Thailand.

The megacities included in this index are defined as cities with a population exceeding 8 million people.

Congestion is measured based on the average travel time for a 10-kilometer (km) journey in the city center, which encompasses the busiest and most densely populated areas of each city.

In Jakarta's city center, the average travel time for a 10 km journey was recorded at 22.7 minutes, ranking it as the 9th most congested megacity.

Here is the complete list of the top 10 most congested megacities in the world in 2022, according to the TomTom Traffic Index:

1. London (UK): 36.3 minutes per 10 km
2. Bengaluru (India): 29.2 minutes per 10 km
3. Lima (Peru): 27.2 minutes per 10 km
4. Paris (France): 26.2 minutes per 10 km
5. Mexico City (Mexico): 25.7 minutes per 10 km
6. Buenos Aires (Argentina): 24.7 minutes per 10 km
7. New York (USA): 24.5 minutes per 10 km
8. Tokyo (Japan): 23.8 minutes per 10 km
9. Jakarta (Indonesia): 22.7 minutes per 10 km
10. New Delhi (India): 22.2 minutes per 10 km

The TomTom Traffic Index also found that overall road congestion levels in 2022 increased compared to 2021.

"In 2022, with more workers returning to the office, travel times increased in 62% of the cities surveyed," said the TomTom team in a press release on Wednesday, February 15, 2023.

They recommend work-from-home systems to reduce congestion, as well as the associated costs and environmental impact.

"In Paris, driving during rush hour can increase fuel costs by around 40% compared to periods of low traffic. With one day of teleworking per week, a driver in Paris would save USD 170," they stated.

"We can also calculate the impact of CO2 emissions. For example, a London resident who commutes to work by gasoline-powered car every day could emit 1.1 tons of CO2 per year. Working from home one day a week would reduce emissions by 219 kilograms per year," they continued.