DIY Social Agency Criticises Fluctuating Desil Data: 'Not Proper'

The DIY regional government has questioned the desil data, which classifies the welfare levels of the population and has undergone numerous changes, sparking public protests. According to the DIY Social Agency (Dinsos DIY), the frequent changes in poverty status data are improper.

“I don’t understand the dynamics either. We don’t know why BPS changes the desil almost every week. That kind of thing is not proper for data,” said the Head of the DIY Social Agency, Suyarno, when contacted by detikJogja on Friday (21/8/2026).

For context, the desil welfare classification data refers to the Data Tunggal Sosial Ekonomi Nasional (DTSEN). Through this system, Indonesian citizens are grouped into 10 categories or desils. Each desil covers approximately 10 percent of the population, with desil 1 being the group with the lowest welfare level and desil 10 being the group with the highest welfare level.

The determination of desil does not only consider family income. Several other indicators are also taken into account, including housing conditions, education, family members’ occupations, electricity usage, and asset ownership.

Suyarno stated that the recent changes in the public’s desil data are due to the many indicators used, which do not correspond to the actual conditions of the community today.

“The authority to determine desil lies with the central BPS. Meanwhile, regarding desil, it is suspected, in our perception, that when additional data enters DTSEN, for example BKKBN data, it may, in quotation marks, disrupt things,” said Suyarno.

“Because there are those whose desil has been thrown upwards, with the reason that the data source is BKKBN. There are those that may be matched, and that is how the BKKBN data is. So later it will be matched with DTSEN data, ‘oh right, apparently this matches the desil’, like that. Even though, in quotation marks, the desil change is extraordinary,” he added.

To resolve this issue, Suyarno said that BPS and the regional government must immediately carry out data matching to obtain concrete data on the real conditions of the community.

“Certainly, data matching must be carried out. Because when someone is desil 8 or desil 7, but the real conditions on the ground should not be like that. Because their house, their income, and so on apparently do not match. So that is what may be of concern,” he explained.

On the other hand, Suyarno urged the public whose desil data has suddenly changed not to panic. This is because the public can report or request changes.

“Yes, meaning don’t be too worried. It means it becomes something we need to check. Each person can check using the cek bansos application, which can be downloaded from the PlayStore, or we can go to the kelurahan office, where there is a SIKS-NG operator who can also help with desil corrections,” he explained.

Many Public Protests

It was previously reported that the DIY Regional Secretary, Ni Made Dwipanti Indrayanti, revealed that many members of the public protested because their desil changed from low to high. According to her, this makes the poverty rate appear to have decreased.

“Many people protested about the desil. I also protested to Bu Endang yesterday, how could that happen. Is it perhaps to reduce the burden, so everything was raised, so to speak,” said Made when met at the Kepatihan complex, Yogyakarta City, on Wednesday (19/8/2026).

“The desil that is our responsibility now is desil 1 to desil 5, meaning below the poverty line. Those in desil 6 to 10 are considered able to survive or be independent,” she added.

Made stated that she had tried to seek clarification on this issue from the Acting Head of BPS DIY, Endang Tri Wahyuningsih.

“So yesterday I asked for clarification from Bu Endang, the Acting Head of BPS. Why is it like this, what is the basis? We haven’t had the chance to meet yet,” she said.

DIY Government and BPS Hold Closed Meeting

The Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY) Government and the DIY Central Statistics Agency (BPS) held a closed meeting, following the DIY Government’s statement questioning the changing desil data that sparked protests.

The meeting to align understanding regarding welfare data and the connection between central and regional data was held at the DIY Regional Secretary’s office, Kepatihan Complex, Yogyakarta City, on Thursday (20/8) afternoon. The meeting was attended by the DIY Regional Secretary and her staff, as well as the Acting Head of BPS DIY and her staff. No information circulated before the closed meeting took place.

The DIY Regional Secretary, Ni Made Dwi Panti Indrayanti, said the meeting discussed the determination of desil, which she said is the authority of the central government.

As a data user, according to Made, the DIY Government needs to understand the criteria and basis for the classification so that the data used in poverty handling can be fully understood and aligned with the conditions of the community in the region.

“The data is central data, not something we determine. The discussion is about the criteria and how far they go. How they load and classify it is what we also need to ask BPS,” explained Made through a written statement received by detikJogja on Thursday (20/8/2026) evening.

Made said that the DIY Government actually also has data developed through collaboration with district/city governments. This data is integrated into Satu Data Kemiskinan and provides a detailed picture of community conditions.

“So actually, with that single data, we can monitor. It is already very detailed in terms of what category of poverty, what assistance they receive, and what type. It is already visible there,” she said.

This meeting, said Made, was also to align and not compare the data held by the regional government with central government data.

“It’s not that we want to compare data. But to align data,” Made emphasised.