Distribution of Indonesia's Poor: Java Highest, Kalimantan Lowest

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded a decline in the poverty rate across almost all regions of Indonesia in March 2026, with the number falling by 0.43 million to 22.93 million, from 23.36 million in September 2025. “Compared to September 2025, a decline in the poverty rate occurred in all regions of Indonesia, with the deepest decline occurring in Java, which fell by 0.21 percentage points,” said BPS Deputy for Balance Sheet and Statistical Analysis Edy Mahmud in Jakarta on Wednesday. By region, Java still has the largest concentration of poor people, reaching 12.02 million people or 52.42 percent of Indonesia’s total poor population. Meanwhile, Kalimantan recorded the lowest number of poor people with 870,000 people, or around 3.79 percent of the national poor population. Nationally, the poverty rate in March 2026 was recorded at 8.07 percent, down from 8.25 percent in September 2025. This decline is in line with the reduction in the number of poor people from 23.36 million in September 2025 to 22.93 million in March 2026, a decrease of around 430,000 people. BPS also noted that the national poverty line in March 2026 was Rp669,235 per capita per month, an increase of 4.33 percent compared to September 2025, which was recorded at Rp641,443 per capita per month. Based on area of residence, the poverty rate in rural areas remains higher than in urban areas, with the rural poverty rate recorded at 10.67 percent, while the urban rate was 6.34 percent in March 2026. In terms of poverty depth, the Poverty Depth Index (P1) in March 2026 showed a decline in urban areas but an increase in rural areas. Similarly, the Poverty Severity Index (P2) also experienced a decline in urban areas but increased in rural areas.