Purbaya: Indonesia Almost Certain to Escape the 5% Economic Growth Curse

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has claimed that Indonesia is now almost certain to escape the 5% economic growth curse that has persisted over the past decade.

He made this statement despite the growth rate in Q4 2025 remaining at 5.39%, and the overall annual growth for last year at 5.11%.

“Our last economic growth figure was 5.39%, so we are almost certainly breaking free from the 5% growth curse,” said Purbaya at the PT SMI 2026 Symposium in Jakarta on Wednesday (22/4/2026).

Purbaya considers the growth rate achieved by Indonesia since he took office as Finance Minister on 8 September 2025 to be a significant accomplishment.

Moreover, he noted that the current global conditions are not conducive, marked by worsening geopolitical conflicts in various regions, disruptions to global supply chains, and a trend of high benchmark interest rates from central banks.

“The global situation is currently unstable with increasing geopolitical conflicts, fragmented supply chains, and global interest rates still high or ‘higher for longer’ as they say, with many countries experiencing economic slowdowns,” Purbaya stressed.

He also expressed dislike for references to Indonesia’s current economic growth as merely hovering around 5%. According to him, such statements imply that the government is doing nothing to push for faster economic growth.

“So moving forward, we should be able to grow faster than 5%, so I don’t like the 5% range because people in the past, perhaps economists who were friends with Mr Darmin, said that Indonesia could reach 6% if the leaders are smart,” said Purbaya.

“If we do nothing, we grow at 5% only. So at 5%, it looks like we’re doing nothing. We will create faster growth,” Purbaya asserted firmly.