Internet Penetration in Indonesia: Rising but Slower than Wanted
The number of Indonesian Internet users grew 13 percent (year-on-year) to 71.2 million in 2013 according to data provided by the Association of Indonesian Internet Providers (APJII). Overall, Internet penetration in Indonesia now stands at around 28 percent of the country's total population of over 240 million people. The number of Internet users in Indonesia is expected to grow to 107 million in 2014 and 139 million in 2015 based on the Millennium Development Goals. However, the sector needs government support to achieve these numbers.
The government of Indonesia should provide a more conducive investment climate for Internet entrepreneurs as investments are needed to be able to achieve the aforementioned targets regarding Internet user growth in Southeast Asia's largest economy. For example, facilitating Internet service providers by easing the act of doing business in the country's Internet sector. Currently, all sorts of requirements, particularly those related to the universal service obligation (USO), cause slow development in the country's Internet sector.
| 2011 | 2012 |
2013 | |
| Number of Internet Users in Indonesia |
55 | 63 | 71 |
in millions
Some trivia about Internet in Indonesia:
• By the end of 2012, Indonesia had an Internet penetration ratio of 22.1 percent. This constitutes a low figure compared to several of its regional peers: Malaysia (60.7 percent), Vietnam (33.9 percent), Thailand (30.0 percent), and Singapore (75 percent).
• Indonesia's contains many illegal Internet services providers due to weak law enforcement.
• Internet growth in Indonesia is mainly supported by the mobile broadband segment due to the country's high demand for social media applications and mobile videos. Around 50 percent of Indonesian Internet users use a mobile phone to access the Internet.
• Indonesia has the world's second largest Facebook community and the third largest Twitter community.
• The highest Internet usage density of Indonesia is found in the western part of the country (Java, Bali and Sumatra) where telecommunication infrastructure is much more developed than in the other regions.