Many Experts Believe Indonesia's Economy Worsened in Early 2026

There are many experts who assess that Indonesia's economic condition worsened at the beginning of 2026.

This is evident from the report of the Economic and Social Research Institute of the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Indonesia (LPEM FEB UI) titled "LPEM Economic Experts Survey Semester I 2026".

From February 24 to March 9, 2026, LPEM surveyed 85 economic experts from various backgrounds, including academics, researchers, the private sector, and international institutions.

These respondents came from various regions in Sumatra, Java, Bali, Kalimantan, Maluku, as well as abroad, namely Australia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and China.

The results showed that 35 experts assessed Indonesia's economy at the beginning of 2026 as worse compared to three months earlier, and 6 people assessed it as much worse.

Then, 32 experts stated that there was no change, while those who assessed Indonesia's economy as improving were fewer in number, as can be seen in the graph.

Previously, LPEM conducted similar surveys in March and October 2025. The results were not much different from the current ones, where many experts assessed Indonesia's economy as worsening.

"For three consecutive rounds, experts still haven't seen an improvement in Indonesia's economic condition," said LPEM on its official Instagram account (March 16, 2026).