East Java's poor population falls by 92,100 to 3.71 million: BPS

Surabaya, East Java (ANTARA) - The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) stated that the number of poor people in East Java in March 2026 was 3.71 million, a decrease of 92,100 people compared with September 2025, when the figure stood at 3.8 million.

“Compared with September 2025, the number of poor people fell by 92,100. The percentage of the poor in March 2026 was recorded at 9.06 percent,” said Acting Head of BPS East Java, Herum Fajarwati, at a press conference in Surabaya on Wednesday.

Based on area of residence over the period September 2025 to March 2026, the number of poor people in urban areas fell by 53,000, whilst in rural areas it fell by 39,100.

The urban poverty rate declined from 6.93 percent to 6.66 percent, whilst in rural areas it fell from 12.55 percent to 12.38 percent.

The poverty line (GK) in March 2026 rose by 4.22 percent compared with September 2025, and the contribution of food commodities to the poverty line remained far greater than that of non-food commodities, with rice making the largest contribution at 23.12 percent in urban areas and 24.65 percent in rural areas.

Herum said several factors influenced the poverty rate during the September 2025 to March 2026 period, including inflation of 4.88 percent (year on year) in February 2026 and East Java’s economy growing 5.96 percent in the first quarter of 2026 (year on year).

“The Farmers’ Terms of Trade (NTP) in February 2026 stood at 119.92, an increase of 4.23 percent compared with September 2025, which was also a factor in the decline in poverty in East Java,” said Herum.