A study conducted by Google and Temasek revealed that Indonesia will take over Southeast Asia’s digital economy by 2025.
Yesterday, Google and Temasek released findings from research conducted in six countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, with the theme ‘Economy SEA: Unlocking the US$200 billion opportunity in Southeast Asia’.
The findings predicted that in less than ten years the digital economy in these countries will reach US$200 billion, and Indonesia in particular is expected to account for US$81 billion.
The astounding figures were based on the revelation that internet users in the country have increased by 19 percent each year and are projected to reach as many as 215 million before 2020.
Speaking at the research launching, Managing Director of Google Indonesia Tony Keusgen was confident that this growth of internet users would push Indonesia forward to become a significant player in the digital economy in Southeast Asia. “Indonesia is becoming the Silicon Valley of all of Asia. That’s exciting; we’re on the tipping point of the frontier of the Internet for this nation,” he said.
According to the study, three main industries in Indonesia will benefit from this growth of internet users: ecommerce, online travel, and online transportation. The country is accordingly expected to reach 52 percent opportunity in the ecommerce sector; 17 percent in online travel; and 22 percent in online transportation by 2025.
Keugen himself remained positive that Google and Temasek’s findings in these industries will come to fruition. “I really hope that you’re as excited as I am about the future economy of the Internet. But not just about the future of the internet economy but the future of Indonesia,” he said.
Also speaking at the launching were Director of Temasek Tai Le, CEO and Founder of GO-JEK Indonesia Nadiem Makarim, CEO and Co-Founder of Traveloka Ferry Unardi and CEO of MatahariMall.com Hadi Wenas.