Many Yogyakarta Residents Jump from Decile 1 to Decile 10, BPS DIY Acknowledges Possible Data Errors

Changes in welfare rankings within the National Socio-Economic Single Data (DTSEN) have come under scrutiny after a number of residents in the Special Region of Yogyakarta experienced drastic increases in their decile rankings. Residents who were previously in decile 1 were even reported to have moved to deciles 6 to 10, meaning they no longer qualify as recipients of various social assistance programmes.

Regarding this matter, the Acting Head of the Yogyakarta Central Statistics Agency (BPS DIY), Endang Tri Wahyuningsih, acknowledged that the data collection system still allows for discrepancies with conditions on the ground. According to her, DTSEN is compiled from various data sources and uses the Proxy Means Test (PMT) method, making verification an important part of ensuring the ranking results match actual conditions.

‘The main priority is to ensure that the data produced is correct and of high quality. This requires the participation of the public, government institutions, and all relevant parties to mutually strengthen data quality,’ Endang said at the BPS DIY office on Monday (24/8/2026).

Endang explained that around 40 indicators are used to determine deciles, ranging from family identity and demographics, housing conditions, sanitation, water and energy sources, electricity consumption, assets, to education. Because the system involves processes and data updates carried out by humans, the possibility of errors remains, including inclusive errors and exclusive errors.

‘In the process, there are inclusion errors and exclusion errors which are highly influential. It is a system, after all; those who collect the data are human, those who input the data are human, so the system certainly has a margin of error,’ she said.