Four Years of Jokowi-JK's Administration: Poverty Rate Decreased by 1.14%

The Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla (Jokowi-JK) administration marked its fourth anniversary on October 20, 2018. During their leadership, the number of people living in poverty decreased by 1.78 million to 25.95 million in March 2018, compared to 27.73 million at the end of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration. This decrease in the number of impoverished people resulted in a 1.14% drop in the poverty rate, from 10.96% in September 2014 to 9.82%. This single-digit poverty rate is the first since the 1998 monetary crisis.

The number of impoverished people in rural areas is higher than in urban areas. At the end of March 2018, the number of impoverished people in rural areas reached 15.81 million, or 13.2% of the total population. Meanwhile, the number of impoverished people in urban areas was only 10.14 million, or about 7.02% of the total population.

(Read Databoks: Rural Poverty Rate Higher Than Urban)

The decrease in poverty has been considered by some to be superficial. This is because the reduction is attributed to the government's short-term social assistance policies, such as the Smart Indonesia Card program and the Family Hope Program, rather than an increase in community productivity.

(Read Databoks: 633,000 Fewer Poor People: Indonesia Records Lowest Poverty Rate Since 1998)