More Indonesian Poor Families Work in the Agricultural Sector

The 2022 Socioeconomic Survey (Susenas) report from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) shows that poor households are more likely to work in the agricultural sector.

Their proportion reached 49.89% in 2022, while non-poor households accounted for 31.48%.

Next is the industrial sector, with 16.66% of poor households. This is lower than the 19.09% of non-poor households.

BPS notes that the industrial sector includes mining and quarrying, manufacturing, construction, electricity, gas, steam/hot water and air conditioning supply, water management, wastewater management, waste management and recycling, and remediation activities.

Other sectors accounted for 22.42% of poor households and 38.11% of non-poor households.

Those not working comprised 11.03% of poor households and 11.32% of non-poor households.

BPS explains that poverty is a multidimensional problem characterized by low average quality of life among the population, affecting education, health, child nutrition, and access to clean drinking water.

"The burden of poverty is heavily felt by certain groups, such as women and children, threatening their future due to malnutrition, low health levels, and low education levels," BPS wrote, as quoted on Thursday (19/12/2024).

Quoting Salim's research (1980) in Dharmawan et al. (2009), BPS states that poor people can be characterized as follows:

* They generally lack their own production factors such as land, capital, tools, and skills;
* They have a low level of education;
* Most are self-employed in small-scale (informal sector) businesses, are semi-unemployed, or unemployed;
* Most live in rural areas or specific urban areas (slum areas);
* They lack sufficient access to basic necessities such as clothing, housing, healthcare, drinking water, education, transportation, communication facilities, and other social welfare.

BPS adds that the average size of poor households is around 4-5 people. The average age of the head of a poor household is 49.21 years, higher than the average age of the head of a non-poor household, which is 48.67 years.

The average years of schooling for poor households is 6.45 years, approximately equivalent to completing primary school up to the first year of junior high school.

(See also: [Illiteracy Rate Among Poor People Twice as High as Non-Poor](https://databoks.katadata.co.id/demografi/statistik/67639c71ab935/tingkat-buta-huruf-orang-miskin-dua-kali-lebih-tinggi-dari-non-miskin))