What Bali’s Democracy Index pilot means for local democracy
Bali is preparing a pilot to measure democracy at regency and city level. Officials reported the provincial score rose to 89,73 in 2025, with the index covering freedom, equality and institutions.
By Mukmin John
Editor: Mursyid Sonsang
· 2 min read
Denpasar — Bali is preparing to pilot measurement of the Indonesian Democracy Index at the regency and city level after provincial officials reported that the province’s score reached 89,73 in 2025, up from 75,35 in 2021 and 83,21 in 2022.
The preparations were discussed on Sept. 24, 2026, at a socialization and technical briefing organized by the Bali Provincial National and Political Unity Agency, known in Indonesia as Kesbangpol. The initiative is intended to produce a more detailed picture of democratic conditions in each local government, whose political dynamics and characteristics differ.
What Bali’s democracy measurement means for foreign residents and visitors
The index is a measurement of democratic conditions, not a rule that directly changes visa, residence or travel requirements. For a foreign resident, its practical significance is indirect: the local-level pilot may make participation, equality and institutional performance more visible in assessments of Bali’s regencies and city.
The reports describe Bali as a pilot location for calculating the index below the provincial level. The exercise is designed to distinguish conditions among local administrations rather than rely only on one province-wide figure. The Bali Provincial Election Commission, or KPU Bali, and the Central Statistics Agency’s Bali office, known as BPS Bali, were among the institutions involved in the Sept. 24 discussion.
Officials presented a longer trend in Bali’s index. The province recorded 75,35 in 2021, 83,21 in 2022, 85,13 in 2023, 88,34 in 2024 and 89,73 in 2025. A separate KPU Bali publication reported different figures for some years, including 83,31 in 2022 and 88,73 in 2025, so the historical series is not fully consistent.
The measurement covers three broad aspects: freedom, equality and the capacity of democratic institutions. The local-level approach is intended to provide a more specific and responsive account of democratic conditions in each regency and city.
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