Digital Literacy Index by Region in Indonesia

Indonesian society exhibits varying levels of digital literacy depending on the region. As areas with relatively more advanced economic activity, urban areas show higher digital literacy rates compared to rural areas.

According to the 2021 Indonesia Digital Literacy Status survey conducted by the Katadata Insight Center (KIC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Kominfo), 52.5 percent of respondents in urban areas had a high digital literacy index. This represents a difference of 2.7 percent compared to rural areas. In rural areas, the proportion of people with a high level of digital literacy is approximately 49.8 percent.

Digital literacy was measured based on the pillars of digital skills, digital ethics, digital safety, and digital culture.

The relatively small difference in the proportion of digitally literate people between urban and rural areas indicates an increasingly even distribution of digital competitiveness in Indonesia. In line with the digital literacy index, the 2022 East Ventures - Digital Competitiveness Index (EV-DCI) report, compiled jointly with KIC and PwC Indonesia, shows a similar pattern.

The difference in digital competitiveness index between regions in Indonesia is narrowing. This is demonstrated by the decreasing spread of digital competitiveness scores between provinces. In 2021, the spread between the provinces with the highest and lowest EV-DCI scores was 55.58. This year, that spread narrowed to 48.29. Specifically, the highest provincial EV-DCI score was 73.23, while the lowest was 24.93.

The equalization of digital competitiveness in Indonesia is supported by various development initiatives, such as the acceleration of ICT infrastructure, digital talent competitiveness, and financial literacy.

Furthermore, according to the 2021 Digital Literacy Status report, the Indonesian digital literacy index in 2021 was 3.49 out of a maximum score of 5.00. This is an increase from 2020, where the index was 3.46.

The total number of respondents in the 2021 Digital Literacy survey was 10,000 (national), with 7,565 respondents from the Western region, 2,000 from the Central region, and 435 from the Eastern region. The proportion of respondents in each region follows the 2020 Central Bureau of Statistics census data.