Jakarta Moves Up in Global City Index
JAKARTA has achieved a higher ranking in the global city rankings. In the Global Cities Index 2026 released by Oxford Economics, Jakarta is ranked 140th among the 1,000 largest cities in the world, improving from 159th the previous year.
However, this number tells a story that goes beyond merely moving up 19 places.
Jakarta's strength lies in its economy and human resources. In Oxford Economics' index, Jakarta ranks 59th in the economic category and 23rd for human resources.
In contrast, quality of life, environmental sustainability, and governance remain significantly lower, ranked at 561, 553, and 372, respectively.
Interestingly, in the World's Best Cities 2026 ranking by Resonance Consultancy, Jakarta comes in at 53rd.
The methodology differs: Resonance incorporates aspects of livability, lovability, and prosperity along with public perception. Therefore, direct comparisons between the two indices are not appropriate.
Nevertheless, both indices convey a crucial message: Jakarta still possesses tremendous economic appeal. It continues to serve as the national economic hub.
The question is, why does Indonesia's economic gravity remain so strongly attracted to Java?
The answer is not solely because Java is more creative or intelligent. The region's infrastructure and economic ecosystem were established earlier.
Roads, ports, airports, digital networks, markets, financial centers, universities, skilled labor, and corporate headquarters are predominantly concentrated in Java.
Business people will naturally follow such an ecosystem. Corporate headquarters, financial centers, supplier networks, and consumer markets are gathered there.
This creates a difficult cycle to break: capital follows infrastructure, infrastructure follows economic activity, and economic activity in turn attracts capital.
This is the real challenge for developing growth centers outside of Java.
We must not aim to shift growth centers, such as to IKN Nusantara, without moving the foundational elements.
In this context, the policy on Transfer to Regions (TKD) needs to be analyzed carefully.
