State Spending Surges: 355,000 New Civil Servants Appointed, Free Nutritious Meal Programme Disbursed

Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa stated that state expenditure reached Rp 1,365.4 trillion by the end of May 2026. This expenditure grew by 34.4% year-on-year (yoy).

In detail, spending by ministries and agencies (K/L) experienced the highest growth, rising by 58.9% to reach Rp 517.7 trillion by the end of May 2026. Purbaya noted that this increase in spending is part of an effort to optimise expenditure since the beginning of the year.

“We want spending to be distributed evenly throughout the year, not just in the fourth quarter,” Purbaya explained during the APBN KiTa press conference on Friday (5/6/2026).

Within this ministry and agency spending, growth occurred across almost all expenditure items, including personnel costs, goods and services, capital expenditure, and social assistance. The highest growth was recorded in goods and services expenditure, which reached 114.9% at a level of Rp 209.3 trillion by the end of May 2026.

This increase in goods and services expenditure was driven by the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme. According to Ministry of Finance data, the distribution of MBG expenditure reached Rp 86.6 trillion. Additionally, the Ministry of Finance noted that personnel expenditure reached Rp 155.1 trillion, an increase of 25.2%. According to Purbaya’s presentation, this rise was driven by the appointment of 355,000 new civil servants (ASN) and the accelerated payment of allowances for non-civil servant educators.

“This demonstrates the President’s strategy to ensure that spending is timely and well-targeted for the economy,” he said.