These 10 Provinces Produce the Most Batik

According to data from the Ministry of Industry's Center for Crafts and Batik (BBKB), there are 3,159 registered batik businesses throughout Indonesia.

Of this number, 208 are large-medium scale batik industries (2021 data), and 2,951 are micro, small, and medium-scale batik businesses (2018 data).

Detailed by region, the highest concentration of batik industries is in Central Java, with 2,191 micro, small, and medium-scale businesses and 108 large-medium scale businesses.

The provinces with the next highest number of batik producers are East Java, Bali, Yogyakarta Special Region, West Java, Jambi, Banten, South Kalimantan, Jakarta, and West Sumatra, with details as shown in the graph.

The provinces with the fewest batik producers are South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Maluku, and Papua, with only 1 business per province.

UNESCO has designated Indonesian batik as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2009.

UNESCO recognizes batik's significant role in Indonesian society. It is not only used as everyday clothing but also for important ceremonies and rituals.

"Babies are swaddled in batik cloth adorned with symbols to bring good fortune to the child, and the deceased are shrouded in burial batik. Batik is commonly used in business and academic settings, and worn at weddings, pregnancy celebrations, and artistic performances," explains UNESCO on its official website.

Batik is also considered a cultural work that records the history of interaction between Nusantara society and other nations.

"The diversity of batik patterns reflects various influences, ranging from Arabic calligraphy, European floral arrangements, Chinese phoenix birds, Indian or Persian peacocks, to Japanese cherry blossoms," UNESCO states.