East Ventures, in collaboration with Katadata Insight Center, has published the 2025 edition of the East Ventures Digital Competitiveness Index (EV-DCI).

This report marks the sixth iteration since its launch in 2020, analyzing the digital competitiveness of Indonesia’s 38 provinces and 157 cities and regencies.

The 2025 EV-DCI report indicates an increase in digital competitiveness, with the national score rising to 38.8 from 38.1 in 2024.

The report attributes this progress to factors such as increased internet usage among workers and the expansion of 3G and 4G connectivity in rural areas.

Additionally, the digital divide between regions has narrowed, suggesting improvements in digital equity.

DKI Jakarta and West Java remain the top two provinces, holding their positions for five consecutive years.

Meanwhile, Papua advanced 14 positions to rank 20th, driven by regional economic growth of 7.8% in 2024, exceeding the national growth rate of 5.0%.

🔗 Source: East Ventures

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Indonesia’s digital divide is narrowing faster than expected, defying regional development patterns

The consistent improvement in Indonesia’s digital competitiveness scores across provinces demonstrates a successful approach to digital inclusion that counters typical development patterns seen in emerging economies.

While Jakarta and Java provinces continue to dominate the top positions with scores as high as 78.4, previously marginalized regions are catching up rapidly, with provinces ranked 11-38 showing higher average improvement rates than the top 10 provinces 1.

This is particularly evident in Papua’s dramatic 14-position jump (from 34th to 20th), driven by strong regional economic growth of 7.8% that exceeded the national average of 5.0% 2.

The gap between highest and lowest-scoring provinces has shrunk to 56.9 points (compared to 60.4 previously), showing that Indonesia’s digital development is becoming more evenly distributed despite its challenging archipelagic geography 2.

The consistent increase in EV-DCI scores from 27.9 in 2020 to 38.8 in 2025 demonstrates that Indonesia’s approach to digital inclusion is producing measurable results across its diverse regions 3.

2️⃣ Indonesia’s fintech sector reveals distinct growth patterns compared to other emerging markets

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