Jakarta – The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reaffirmed its commitment to providing accurate and representative statistical data as a basis for formulating national policies, particularly those related to poverty and socioeconomic inequality. BPS Deputy for Social Statistics, Ateng Hartono, explained that the March 2025 National Socioeconomic Survey (Susenas) was conducted earlier in February. This step was taken to avoid data distortion due to the timing of the survey coinciding with the month of Ramadan.
“During Ramadan, household consumption patterns tend to spike and don’t reflect normal consumption behavior. If data were collected at that time, household spending would appear higher than the actual level, thus making the poverty line appear artificially lower,” Ateng explained.
With more rigorous methods, the February 2025 Susenas is expected to produce more accurate and objective data. The survey involved 345,000 households in 38 provinces and 514 regencies/cities across Indonesia, ensuring broad coverage and validity in capturing the socioeconomic conditions of the community.
The latest data shows that the number of poor people in March 2025 reached 23.85 million, or 8.47% of the total population. This figure decreased by 0.2 million compared to September 2024, reflecting the effectiveness of the economic recovery policies implemented by the government since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This decline is inseparable from improvements in the community’s economy, job recovery, and the effectiveness of social assistance. With representative data, the government can implement more targeted interventions,” he said.
The Susenas also serves as the basis for calculating national strategic indicators such as the poverty line, the Gini ratio, the poverty severity index, and the human capital index. All of these indicators are crucial for achieving the development targets set in the 2025–2029 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN).
The Statistics Indonesia (BPS) also responded to the striking discrepancy between the poverty data from BPS and the World Bank. According to Ateng, the discrepancy stems from different methods and objectives. BPS uses the basic needs approach (CBN), while the World Bank uses the global standard based on purchasing power parity (PPP) of US$6.85 per capita per day.
“BPS calculates poverty based on expenditure on basic needs for Indonesians specifically, not standards from other countries. Therefore, BPS data is more appropriate for formulating national policies,” he stressed.
These strategic steps by BPS demonstrate the importance of a local, household-based approach to producing high-quality and relevant statistical data. This allows for more precise, equitable, and inclusive national development planning.
