Average Education Level of the "Poor and Middle Class" is Only Elementary School Graduate

The average years of schooling for the population, when viewed according to the economic status of household groups, only reaches 8.3 years, or completion of Junior High School (SMP). The poorest group, or the 20 percent of the population with the lowest expenditure (quintile 1), on average only completes Primary School (SD).

Quintiles are groupings of household expenditures conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) into five equally sized groups. Quintiles serve as a reference for household groups in Indonesia, measured based on per capita expenditure. The BPS divides total household expenditure, with a total value of 100 percent, into five quintiles. In other words, quintile 1 represents the 20 percent of households with the lowest expenditure, increasing progressively to quintile 5, which represents the 20 percent of households with the highest per capita expenditure.

Compared to quintile 1, which on average only reaches the 6th grade of primary school (SD) or equivalent, the population in quintile 5 has on average attended school up to the 11th grade (Grade 2 of Senior High School). The largest difference in average years of schooling is found in the top two quintiles (quintiles 4 and 5).