"In the last 10 years, the number of poor people declined by around 3.06 million people, or declined by around 2.22 percentage points," acting chief secretary of the BPS, Imam Machdi, informed in Jakarta on Monday.
The number of poor stood at 25.22 million in March 2024, a decline from 28.28 million in March 2014.
On average, the number of poor fell by around 300 thousand per year, with the rate of decline in rural areas being higher than in urban areas.
The poverty rate in rural areas was recorded at 11.79 percent in March 2024, 2.38 percentage points lower compared to 14.17 percent in March 2014.
Meanwhile, the poverty rate in urban areas in March 2024 stood at 7.09 percent, 1.25 percentage points lower than 10 years before, when the rate was recorded at 8.34 percent.
In the islands, the highest poverty rate in March 2024 was recorded in the Maluku and Papua islands, namely at 19.39 percent. Meanwhile, the lowest poverty rate was seen in Kalimantan Island at 5.44 percent.
The highest number of poor was recorded in Java island at 13.24 million, while, the island with the lowest number of poor was Kalimantan at 0.94 million.
The people's poverty status was determined by the poverty line, that is, the minimum level of income to meet food and non-food needs.
The poverty line in March 2024 stood at Rp582,932 (around US$35.67) per capita per month, an increase of 5.90 percent compared to March 2023.
For urban areas, the poverty line stood at Rp601,871 (around US$36.83), higher than the poverty line in rural areas, namely Rp556,874 (around US$34.07).
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Translator: Imamatul Silfia, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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