Indonesia’s Creative Economy Emerges as Key Growth Engine Under 2025 Development Plan
Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: Indonesia’s creative economy has emerged as a new engine of national growth, supported by rising investment, expanding employment, and strong policy backing under President Prabowo Subianto’s 2025 development plan, the creative economy minister said.
Creative Economy Minister Teuku Riefky Harsya said the sector has made tangible contributions to national gross domestic product within the ministry’s first year of operations, according to a statement released in Jakarta on Saturday.
He noted that creative economy targets set under the 2025 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) have been exceeded, reflecting stronger-than-expected performance across key indicators.
Data from the Investment Coordinating Board showed creative economy investment reached Rp90.12 trillion in the first half of 2025, equivalent to 66 percent of the full-year target, against a projected range of Rp123.9 trillion to Rp136.3 trillion.
Meanwhile, Statistics Indonesia recorded creative economy employment at 27.4 million workers, surpassing the RPJMN 2025 target of 25.55 million.
“Indonesia’s creative economy is not something that will become a growth engine. It already is one,” Riefky said.
He said Indonesia’s creative talent is deeply rooted in strong cultural foundations and requires limited technological innovation to enable local creative players to scale up at the national and global levels.
Riefky also outlined plans to expand financing through the People’s Business Credit (KUR) scheme for intellectual property-based creative industries in 2026, with a proposed ceiling of Rp10 trillion.
Under the scheme, creative entrepreneurs would be able to access loans ranging from Rp100 million to Rp500 million, using intellectual property as supporting collateral.
He made the remarks during a meeting with Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Muhaimin Iskandar during a working visit to the Creative Economy Ministry headquarters in Jakarta on Thursday.
Muhaimin said the discussions also addressed budget constraints that continue to limit government intervention, adding that efforts would continue to secure broader funding to help local intellectual property scale nationally and expand globally.
