Revealed! Wealth of Indonesia's 50 Crazy Rich Equals One-Fifth of National GDP
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Indonesia’s super-rich have experienced an extreme increase in wealth in recent years. According to records from the Center of Economic and Law Studies (CELIOS), the wealth of the 50 richest people in Indonesia nearly doubled between 2019 and 2025, rising from around Rp2,508 trillion to Rp4,651 trillion in 2026.
“The wealth of Indonesia’s 50 richest individuals equals one-fifth of Indonesia’s GDP,” CELIOS stated in its report on Indonesia’s Economic Inequality 2026, quoted on Tuesday (28/4/2026).
The report indicates that more than half of the super-rich group’s wealth in Indonesia comes from extractive activities or the exploitation of natural resources such as coal, palm oil, and nickel.
From 2019 to 2022, the contribution of the energy and extractive sectors to total wealth stood at 39-46%. By 2026, the proportion of the 50 super-rich’s wealth derived from the extractive sector surged to 57.8%.
CELIOS observes significant wealth inequality between Indonesia’s crazy rich and the general population. Additionally, inequality is evident in the benefits and harms received by ordinary citizens.
According to CELIOS records, the median wealth of Indonesia’s 50 super-rich in 2026 reaches Rp52.3 billion, while the median wealth of the population is only Rp84.35 million. Looking ahead, the gap will widen further, with the median wealth of the super-rich projected to surge 106% to Rp107.7 trillion by 2050. In contrast, the population’s median wealth will rise only 20% to Rp101 million.
“The economy based on the exploitation of natural resources generates huge profits for a handful of super-rich groups. Meanwhile, the additional costs from environmental damage are borne by society,” it emphasised.
In its report, CELIOS states that Indonesia’s 50 richest individuals statistically represent only 0.000000174% of the population but control 18.6% of the nation’s wealth. Without changes to the economic and political structure, inequality is expected to sharpen further, with the 50 richest in Indonesia possessing wealth equivalent to that of 111 million Indonesians by 2050.
“In a country where part of society still grapples with ‘what to eat today’, a handful of people can be richer than Middle Eastern ‘sultans’,” it said.
CELIOS found that the savings of the rich group grow faster than those of the lower classes. Jumbo deposits above Rp5 billion are said to increasingly dominate 56.45% of total bank money, even though nearly all customers in Indonesia (around 98.91%) are those with balances below Rp100 million.
Meanwhile, the banking deposit structure is increasingly dominated by large-fund customers throughout 2014-2025. The value of deposits above Rp5 billion rose sharply from Rp1,564 trillion to Rp5,463 trillion.
“In addition to the increase in nominal savings, the proportion compared to total deposits also rose from 43% to 56%, but this trend differs for deposits below Rp100 million,” CELIOS revealed.