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

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded a decline in the poverty rate across nearly all regions of Indonesia in March 2026, with a decrease of 0.43 million to 22.93 million, from 23.36 million people in September 2025.

“Compared with September 2025, the decline in the poverty rate occurred in all regions of Indonesia, with the deepest decline occurring on the island of Java, namely a fall of 0.21 percentage points,” said Deputy for Balance Sheet and Statistical Analysis at BPS Edy Mahmud in Jakarta on Wednesday.

By region, Java remains the area with 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 smallest 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.

The 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, or a decrease of around 430,000 people.

BPS also recorded the national poverty line in March 2026 at Rp669,235 per capita per month, an increase of 4.33 percent compared with September 2025, when it was recorded at Rp641,443 per capita per month.

By 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 in urban areas it stood at 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. Meanwhile, the Poverty Severity Index (P2) also declined in urban areas but increased in rural areas.