Prabowo Criticises Economic Anomaly: 5% Growth Yet Poverty Rises

President Prabowo Subianto has assessed that stable national economic growth of around 5% per year has not automatically improved the people’s welfare. He described this condition as an anomaly, particularly as the number of poor people has actually increased and the middle class has weakened. The statement was made by Prabowo in his speech at the closing of the 2026 Nahdlatul Ulama National Alim Ulama Conference in Bangkalan Regency, East Java, on Tuesday. According to Prabowo, by simple calculation, economic growth of 5% per year over seven years should have made Indonesia much more prosperous. “Over the last seven years, it has been said that our economy grew 5% each year. Seven years times five means 35% growth. Logically, over seven years Indonesia became 35% richer,” said Prabowo. However, the President said the social reality does not fully reflect that growth achievement. He highlighted that the number of poor people has increased, while some middle-class groups have fallen back economically. “The reality is that after seven years of 5% growth, the number of poor people has increased. The country is richer, but the poor have increased. This is something strange, an anomaly. The middle class, who had previously escaped poverty, have fallen back down,” he said. Prabowo assessed that this situation indicates a fundamental problem in the national economic system. According to him, economic growth has not been distributed fairly to all levels of society. He said that if poverty increases and the middle class shrinks amid economic growth, the benefits of that growth deserve to be questioned. “We see that this means our system is wrong. The system is wrong because if the poor increase and the middle class also decreases, it means only a handful of people are enjoying this growth,” said Prabowo. The Head of State stressed that economic development must not stop merely at growth figures. He said the government must ensure that growth expands welfare, reduces poverty, and delivers social justice. Prabowo stated that his administration will reform various policies so that the results of development can be felt more evenly by the people. According to him, the ideal of Indonesia’s independence is to bring about social justice and prosperity for all the people, not just for certain groups. “This is what I believe and this is what I will work on, to fulfil my oath to the people to safeguard their interests in accordance with the oath I took when I was inaugurated,” said the President.