BPS: Poor People in West Java Decreased, but Inequality Increased

Photo: Antara

JAKARTA - The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) of West Java Province recorded that the percentage of the poor population as of March 2026 has successfully shrunk to 6.54 percent or decreased by 114,23 thousand people, even though at the same time the inequality in spending (Gini Ratio) has actually increased.

The decline brings the total number of poor people in West Java to 3.44 million, with improvements in poverty quality reflected by the decline in the Poverty Depth Index (P1) from 1.14 to 1.04 and the Poverty Severity Index (P2) from 0.27 to 0.23.

Head of BPS West Java Province Margaretha Ari Anggorowati in Bandung, Friday, August 7, revealed that the West Java poverty line as of March 2026 was set at IDR 609,790 per capita per month, with the food commodity portion holding a dominant role of 74.48 percent.

"BPS uses the concept of the ability to meet basic needs to measure poverty. With this approach, poverty is seen as an economic inability to meet basic food and non-food needs measured according to the poverty line," said Ari, quoted by Antara.

Rice and filter kretek cigarettes are the two main commodities that cause poverty, with rice contributing to the poverty line reaching 21.33 percent in urban areas and 26.78 percent in rural areas, followed by cigarettes at 10.63 percent in cities and 6.88 percent in villages.

Even though the quantity and quality of poverty has improved, where urban areas have experienced a decrease in poor people by 124,61 thousand people, rural areas have actually experienced an increase in poor people by 10,38 thousand people (up 0.20 percentage points).

In addition, the Gini Ratio of West Java as of March 2026 climbed to 0.413 (up 0.016 points compared to September 2025), which confirms that the gap in spending inequality between groups of people is widening.

"Both in terms of quantity and quality, the poverty indicator in West Java in general has improved compared to September 2025. However, the inequality indicator has increased so that it remains a concern," said Ari.