496 Years Old: What is Jakarta's Human Development Index Today?

Jakarta, the capital city of DKI Jakarta, celebrated its 496th anniversary on Thursday, June 22, 2023. This national capital has undergone significant transformations over time, evolving from a small port into an international trading center and eventually a sprawling metropolis.

Given its adaptability to the changing times, what is the current state of its citizens' quality of life?

The Jakarta Provincial Statistics Agency (BPS DKI Jakarta) compiles the Human Development Index (HDI) scores for its residents.

At least six districts/cities in Jakarta have had their quality of life measured using the HDI. East Jakarta had the highest score, achieving 85.21 points out of 100 in 2022. This represents an increase from 82.97 points in 2021.

Central Jakarta came second with 83.45 points in 2022, up from 81.56 points the previous year.

West Jakarta scored 82.11 points in 2022, also an increase from 81.76 points in 2021.

The Thousand Islands followed in fourth place, with a score of 81.65 points in 2022, a significant improvement from 72.10 points the previous year.

Only one administrative city saw a decrease in its score: South Jakarta. In 2022, South Jakarta received a score of 72.79 points, a considerable drop from 84.90 points in 2021.

The decline in South Jakarta's HDI score contributed to a decrease in DKI Jakarta's average HDI. In 2022, DKI Jakarta's average HDI score was 80.81 points, down from 81.11 points in 2021.

Generally, BPS states that the HDI reflects the population's access to development outcomes in terms of income, health, education, and so on.

It is a crucial indicator for measuring success in efforts to improve the quality of human life. The HDI can also determine the ranking or level of development of a region or country.

"For Indonesia, the HDI is strategic data because, in addition to being a measure of government performance, it is also used as one of the allocators in determining the General Allocation Fund (DAU)," BPS wrote on its official website.

The HDI was introduced by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1990 and is regularly published in the annual Human Development Report (HDR).

The HDI is composed of three basic dimensions: long and healthy life, knowledge, and decent living standards.