indikator

Indikator is a term used to describe a measurable factor that indicates the state of a system, condition, or process, or that helps predict future trends. Commonly used across statistics, economics, environmental science, public health, and management, an indikator can be quantitative, such as a numeric rate, or qualitative, such as a categorical rating. Indicators are typically chosen for reliability, validity, timeliness, and comparability.

Indicators can be leading, which signal upcoming changes, or lagging, which reflect outcomes after the fact. They are also categorized by role: input indicators (resources put in), process indicators (activities carried out), output indicators (immediate products), and outcome indicators (long-term effects). Composite indicators aggregate multiple measures into a single index or score.

Examples include economic indicators such as leading indicators like consumer confidence and housing starts, and lagging indicators like unemployment and inflation. Environmental indicators include air quality index and water quality metrics. Health indicators include vaccination rates, life expectancy, and maternal mortality. In business and governance, key performance indicators (KPIs) monitor progress toward targets.

Use of indicators requires clear definitions, documented data sources, and awareness of limitations. Data quality, selection bias, and contextual differences can affect interpretation. In Indonesian contexts, the term indikator is commonly used to refer to performance indicators in government and organizational reporting.