Fewer than 1% of rice and secondary crop farmers in Indonesia are wealthy in 2024.

A study by the Institute for Demographic and Poverty Studies (IDEAS), sourced from the 2024 National Socio-Economic Survey by Statistics Indonesia (BPS), shows that only 0.07% of Indonesian farmers in the rice and secondary crops sector fall into the rich category.

The rest fall into the middle class, aspiring middle class, vulnerable poor, and poor categories.

"As many as 10.75 million farmers (53.76%) are aspiring middle-class residents who could very easily fall into the vulnerable poor and poor economic categories at any time," IDEAS wrote in its report.

Other categories include 25.10% vulnerable poor; 11.81% middle-class farmers; and 9.26% farmers living in poverty.

IDEAS explained that the proportion of the population categorized as poor and vulnerable poor in the rice and secondary crops agricultural sector, including horticulture and plantations, indicates a correlation between involvement in the agricultural sector and low levels of economic well-being.

According to IDEAS, this reflects structural challenges in agricultural sector development that have not fully been able to improve the living standards of its main actors.

"Low productivity, limited access to technology and capital, as well as unstable prices for agricultural products are factors contributing to this condition," IDEAS explained.