Jakarta Escapes From Middle Income Trap, Airlangga Says It's Equal To Singapore

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs (Menko) Airlangga Hartarto. (Photo: Aris Nurjani/VOI)

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said a number of areas in Indonesia had escaped the middle-income trap, such as Jakarta, which is already on par with Singapore.

Airlangga claimed that Jakarta's position was equivalent to Singapore because Jakarta's per capita income reached 21,000 US dollars or equivalent to Rp. 341 million per capita (exchange rate of Rp. 16,265).

"Jakarta has passed the middle income trap, Jakarta has per capita income of 21,000 US dollars. If we want to enter again to the top of Jakarta, namely Central Jakarta, it has reached 50,000 US dollars, so Jakarta's agglomeration is equivalent to other countries including Singapore," said Airlangga in the Anniversary Celebration of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Thursday, July 25.

Airlangga continued, East Kalimantan has also escaped the middle income trap.

Furthermore, North Kalimantan per capita income reached US$17,000 or equivalent to Rp276 million.

"East Kalimantan has also passed the middle income trap, and that is the place where the capital city of Nusantara (IKN) we have also escaped the middle income trap and northern Kalimantan has around US$17,000 in revenue," he said.

He conveyed that the government already has a strategy to make all parts of Indonesia free from the middle income trap by mapping it by looking at economic driving factors, the level of social welfare, the level of education, to the poverty level.

"We already have all the data, so we can see what we have to do so that every region can be like Jakarta or like East Kalimantan. Or even in South Sumatra Ogan Komering Ilir has passed the middle income trap. So this is one thing we have to pursue," he concluded.