Tiles Dominate the Roofs of Indonesian Houses

Tiles are the most widely used roofing material in Indonesia.

According to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), in 2021, as many as 55.86% of households nationwide used tiles as the main material for their roofs.

Other commonly used materials include zinc, with a usage proportion of 31.38% of total households.

There are also houses that use asbestos, concrete, straw/palm/leaves/thatch, bamboo/wood/shingles, or other materials, but their proportion is smaller, as shown in the chart.

This dominance of tiles seems likely to continue.

This is because, in early 2026, President Prabowo Subianto stated that he would launch a "tilesification" project, which involves replacing zinc roofs with tiles.

"I want all roofs in Indonesia to use tiles. So the project will be a 'tilesification' project for all of Indonesia," said Prabowo at the 2026 National Coordination Meeting of Central and Regional Governments in Sentul, Bogor, on Monday (2/2/2026).

"The equipment for tile factories isn't expensive. So we will equip the Red-White cooperatives with tile factories. Tiles are made from clay, and by mixing in some other waste materials, they can be light and strong," he said.

According to the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, the government is ready to fund the "tilesification" project.

Airlangga also said that the project is one of the government's strategies to strengthen the tourism sector.

"Tourists won't come if there's a pile of garbage and all the roofs are rusty zinc," said Airlangga, as reported by Katadata.co.id (2/2/2026).