"In the last 10 months, amid global uncertainty, Indonesia's economy remained stable. The people's welfare improved, and various strategic programs have shown tangible benefits," he said in a meeting with Commission XI of the House of Representatives (DPR) here on Wednesday.
The meeting is Sadewa's first meeting with the commission following his inauguration as finance minister on Monday.
He underscored that one of the things that indicate the improvement of welfare is the reduction in the open unemployment rate and poverty rate.
According to him, throughout 2025, 3.59 million jobs have been created, which has led to a decline in the open unemployment rate from 4.82 percent last year to 4.76 percent as of February 2025, based on Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data.
Furthermore, the poverty rate has declined from 9.03 percent in March 2024 to 8.47 percent in March 2025.
In addition, economic indicators also showed stable movement.
He expounded that in the second quarter of 2025, economic growth stood at 5.12 percent. Meanwhile, inflation was maintained at a low level, and the debt ratio was one of the lowest among G20 countries, at around 39.8 percent.
The trade balance recorded a surplus, while the state budget deficit will be within the safe limit at 2.78 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) for the 2025 outlook.
Indonesia has also been able to maintain safe rice stocks with more than 4 million tons of rice secured.
The minister highlighted that President Prabowo's priority programs, such as the Free Meals, tuition-free schools Sekolah Rakyat, and Free Health Screening, have provided tangible benefits to the community.
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Translator: Imamatul Silfia, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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