Duolingo CEO Luis Von Ahn: “Indonesia Is One of Duolingo’s Five Fastest-Growing Markets ”

One of Duolingo’s five fastest-growing markets globally, Indonesia stands out for learners’ self-motivation and growing interest in East Asian languages

Indonesia is one of Duolingo’s five fastest-growing markets globally by year-over-year growth in daily active users, underscoring the country’s growing appetite for language learning. In a conversation with Indonesian creator Raditya Dika at Duolingo’s New York City office, CEO and co-founder Luis von Ahn highlighted Indonesian learners’ strong motivation and his interest in helping more people in the country learn languages.

“We’re very interested in the Indonesian market,” said von Ahn. He spoke about teaching English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and other languages to people in Indonesia, and welcomed Duolingo’s growth in the country. 

A market where learning supports bigger ambitions

Duolingo’s learner data shows that Indonesia ranks first globally in the share of learners who cite “Support my education” as their motivation. Indonesian learners are 37% more likely than the global average to learn for education, and 41% more likely to learn to spend their time productively. These motivations point to a community that sees language learning as a meaningful investment in personal development.

English remains the most learned language on Duolingo in Indonesia, with Japanese and Chinese also among the top three. Interest in Chinese has grown particularly strongly: since 2023, the share of Indonesian daily active users learning Chinese has nearly tripled.

Learners are also combining languages. Indonesians learning on Duolingo are 4.15 times as likely as the global average to study English and Chinese concurrently. Japanese and Chinese, and English and Japanese, also stand out at 3.3 times and 2.8 times the global average respectively. Together, these patterns show how Indonesian learners are broadening their interests across East Asian languages while continuing to learn English.

Making better education accessible to more people

For von Ahn, reaching learners in markets such as Indonesia connects directly to why he started Duolingo. Growing up in Guatemala, he saw how access to a good education could depend on a family’s financial circumstances. That experience shaped his ambition to make learning available to everyone.

“I wanted to do something that would give equal access to education to everyone,” he told Raditya. Duolingo’s mission is to provide the best education in the world and make it universally available, Von Ahn emphasized that people who cannot afford to pay should still be able to learn on the platform.

As Indonesian learners pursue languages for education, careers and international opportunities, Duolingo is expanding its curriculum to support more advanced and practical language skills. Nine of its most popular language courses now teach to B2 level. For Indonesian learners, who are especially motivated to support their education, this offers a path to continue developing their skills beyond the basics. In the interview, von Ahn also described how AI-powered conversation practice can help learners speak without the fear of being judged, making it easier to practice a language they are not yet confident to use. This connects with Indonesian learners’ strong drive for self-development, helping them turn their knowledge into speaking practice for school, work and everyday conversations.

The visit also offered a more personal connection with Indonesia. Von Ahn sampled Indonesian snacks, put on a batik shirt gifted by Raditya, and practiced introducing himself and thanking learners in Indonesian. Having previously visited Bali, he said he would love to explore other Indonesian islands. The exchange brought the conversation back to the everyday experience Duolingo encourages: being curious, trying something unfamiliar and taking the first step in a new language.