Bali after ten years: what changed, what residents say

Bali is one of the first names that come up when Russian-, Polish- and English-speaking buyers think about a home in Asia. Ten years is enough to see what is a passing season and what is a lasting change. This article sets public data for 2014-2026 next to a long-term resident's account. It is informational, not advice, and we flag figures that rest on a single secondary source.

How we researched this

We used public sources only: national and regional statistics as reproduced in reference works, press reports from the Polish and international press, an analysis by an academic researcher, and one interview with a long-term resident that we opened in full. We did not invent or combine people. Few suitable first-hand accounts exist: many texts are written by agents, by people who stayed months, or by visitors. We say so plainly: this article has one long-term account, not five.

What changed in ten years

• Visitors. Bali received about 3.8 million foreign visitors in 2014, about 6.3 million in 2024, and around 7 million in 2025 (sources give between 6.95 and 7.05 million), according to Polish press reporting and a reference work. That is close to double in a decade, with a pandemic collapse in between (about 1.07 million in 2020).
• Population. Bali had 3,890,757 residents at the 2010 census and 4,317,404 at the 2020 census, with a mid-2025 estimate of about 4.46 million, per national statistics as reproduced on Wikipedia. Press reports put the number of foreigners living on the island at around 200,000 (Euronews, September 2024); we could not confirm that figure officially.
• Airport. A new international terminal opened in September 2013 and a new domestic terminal in September 2014 at Ngurah Rai. Passenger numbers are reported as 17.3 million in 2014, 24.2 million in 2019 and 23.9 million in 2024 (Wikipedia). A second airport off the north coast was put back on the national strategic project list in 2025 according to the same reference; it is not built.
• Roads. The 9.91 km Bali Mandara toll road opened in September 2013. Since then traffic has grown faster than the road network. In June 2026 a press report described a 5 km trip in Canggu that normally takes 10-15 minutes taking over an hour at peak season, with the local transport head saying the roads there are all about the same width and heavily used (The Nightly). A researcher notes roughly one vehicle per resident on the island and a six-hour blockage of airport access on New Year's Eve 2023 (The Conversation, August 2024). A subway plan was reported stalled over investor concerns; we could not open that report.
• Tourist levy. Since 14 February 2024 foreign visitors to Bali pay 150,000 rupiah (about USD 10), online or on arrival, with exemptions for diplomats and holders of some special visas; the stated purposes are waste management, environment and culture (buch-dein-visum.de, March 2024). Check the official Love Bali portal for the current rules and whether your permit is exempt.
• Building pause. In September 2024 a senior minister confirmed a suspension of new hotels, villas and nightclubs in certain parts of Bali, and said it could last up to a decade. We could not verify its present scope, so ask any developer for the current permit position in writing.
• Visitor rules. Press reports mention a ban on single-use plastics from early 2025 and conduct guidelines for visitors, with police posted in popular places.

What long-term residents report

A travel writer who has spent part of each year, about three to six months, in a West Bali village since around 2013. In a September 2024 interview she said that living in an area without municipal waste collection made her responsible for her own rubbish, which changed how she consumes. She came from a non-religious background and describes the pervasive spiritual life around her as a privilege. Her difficulty is overtourism: she wants to support local businesses but fears what more visitors do to the island, so she accepts commissions that stress culture rather than the crowded places. She chose to integrate into a rural village through her partner's long relationships and learned Indonesian conversationally, rather than join expatriate circles. She is a part-year resident, so she does not describe the full-year routines of the south. Source: Samantha Childress, Substack interview, 26 September 2024.

We found no second first-hand account that meets our threshold of eight or more years of living on Bali. If you read other sites with such accounts, check the author's stated length of stay and whether they sell property or services.

What did not change or got harder

• Tourism dependence. Reference works describe tourism-related business as around 80% of the island economy, so the island's mood follows visitor numbers.
• Traffic in the south-west. The Canggu report shows the problem is current in 2026, and officials say the options are limited.
• Waste. The resident above names uncollected waste in her area as a daily reality.
• Pressure on culture. Both the levy and the conduct rules were introduced to answer complaints about visitor behaviour and rubbish; they treat symptoms, and their effect is not yet measured.
• Rules for foreign owners. Bali relies on leasehold-type structures rather than freehold for foreigners; read leasehold, Hak Pakai and PT PMA explained before any contract.

What newcomers can take from this

• Choose the area by traffic, not by photographs: compare Canggu, Uluwatu and Ubud at rush hour and in peak season.
• Ask any developer in writing how the building pause affects the project's permits and building approvals.
• Read the structure of ownership first: prices, yield and rules on Bali and the Thailand versus Bali comparison.
• Add running costs and levies to the budget: see total cost of ownership abroad.
• Plan a viewing trip with the viewing-trip guide, and read Bali: what surprises first-time visitors. Then browse listings in Indonesia.

FAQ

How much has tourism grown? About 3.8 million foreign visitors in 2014 against about 7 million in 2025 by the figures above, with a sharp pandemic dip between.

Does the tourist levy apply to residents? It is charged to foreign visitors, with exemptions for some visa holders. We could not confirm how it applies to residents with long-stay permits, so check the official portal for your permit.

Is the building pause still in force? It was announced in September 2024 with no end date, and we could not verify its current status. Ask for permits in writing.

Is traffic really that bad? Press reports in 2026 describe hour-long trips for 5 km in Canggu at peak times. It depends strongly on area and season.

Why only one long-term account? We accept only accounts by people who state eight or more years of living on the island and are not selling property; we found one.

How we help

We are a trilingual platform (Russian, Polish, English) that finds properties and coordinates independent local lawyers and tax advisers. This text is informational and is not legal, tax or investment advice, and rules and figures change, so verify current terms with official sources and your own advisers before deciding.