The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) released poverty figures for March 2019, reaching 9.41% of the total population, or 25.14 million people. This is the lowest poverty rate since 1998. The poverty rate in 1998 reached 24.2% of the total population.
Head of the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Suhariyanto, stated that BPS uses a per capita expenditure approach of Rp 425,250 per month as the latest poverty line. This indicator is higher than the figure used in March 2018, which was Rp 401,220 per capita per month.
The poverty rate in March 2019 decreased by 0.25% compared to September 2018 and by 0.41% compared to the poverty rate in March 2018. This is a result of the disbursement of larger social assistance budgets at the beginning of the year and the distribution of Rastra social assistance.
(Read Databoks: [Poverty and Inequality Decreased in March 2019](https://databoks.katadata.co.id/datapublish/2019/07/15/ekonomi-tumbuh-507-kemiskinan-dan-ketimpangan-turun-pada-maret-2019))
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