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West Java Sees Poverty Reduction Amid Rising Inequality: BPS
West Java's poverty rate has decreased as of March 2026, with improvements in poverty quality, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS). However, the Gini Ratio, an indicator of spending inequality, has risen, raising concerns.
The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) of West Java Province has announced a reduction in the number of poor people in the province as of March 2026, along with an improvement in the quality of poverty. However, the Gini Ratio, an indicator of income inequality, has risen, presenting a challenge. According to the BPS announcement, the poverty rate in West Java as of March 2026 stood at 6.54 percent, a decrease of 114,230 people compared to the same period last year. This brings the total number of poor people in the province to 3.44 million. Improvements were also seen in the quality of poverty, with the Poverty Depth Index (P1) falling from 1.14 to 1.04 and the Poverty Severity Index (P2) from 0.27 to 0.23. The poverty line for the province was set at IDR 609,790 per capita per month as of March 2026, with food commodities constituting a dominant 74.48 percent. BPS measures poverty based on the ability to meet basic food and non-food needs. Key commodities contributing to poverty include rice and filter kretek cigarettes. Rice contributed to the poverty line by 21.33 percent in urban areas and 26.78 percent in rural areas. Cigarettes followed, accounting for 10.63 percent in cities and 6.88 percent in villages. While the total number and quality of poverty have improved, regional disparities are evident. Urban areas saw a decrease of 124,610 poor people, whereas rural areas experienced an increase of 10,380 people, with a corresponding rise of 0.20 percentage points in the poverty rate. Furthermore, the Gini Ratio for West Java reached 0.413 as of March 2026, an increase of 0.016 points from September 2025. This indicates a widening gap in spending inequality between different groups of people. Head of BPS West Java, Margaretha Ari Anggorowati, stated, "Although in general the poverty indicators in West Java have improved compared to September 2025 in terms of quantity and quality, the increase in the inequality indicator remains a concern." Source: VOI English
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VOI English