President Prabowo Subianto claimed that both unemployment and absolute poverty rates in Indonesia have declined. He stated that this information came directly from Indonesia’s Central Statistics Agency (BPS). Prabowo made this statement during the Congress of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) held in Solo, Central Java, on Sunday, July 20, 2025.

“The Head of BPS reported to me that the unemployment rate is decreasing, and absolute poverty is also declining. This comes from BPS itself,” said Prabowo, as quoted on Monday, July 21, 2025.

For context, BPS previously delayed the release of the national poverty data. The data, originally scheduled for publication on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, was intended to present the poverty profile for the first half of 2025 along with the inequality statistics for the same period. However, BPS announced a delay just one hour before the 11:00 AM release time.

In their official statement, BPS said the delay was necessary to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the statistics being provided to the public. They emphasized that delivering accurate and trustworthy data is a top priority.

“We will announce the updated release schedule for the latest poverty figures as soon as possible,” BPS wrote in their statement.

The delay sparked criticism from members of the Indonesian Parliament (DPR), particularly from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) faction. Deputy Chair of Commission X, Maria Yohana Esti Wijayati, expressed concern that the data is crucial as a reference for formulating the 2026 State Budget (APBN), which is currently under discussion. She added that the delay led to public criticism being directed at Commission X, which partners with BPS.

“We urge BPS to openly disclose all permissible data and release them during the scheduled month,” she said during a public hearing with Commission X on Thursday, July 17, 2025.

Additional criticism came from Chairman of the House Budget Committee (Banggar), Said Abdullah, who also serves as Chairman of PDIP’s Central Executive Board. He regretted the delay in the statistical data release, saying the information is vital for Parliament and economic stakeholders alike.

“There should be no delays, because regardless of the situation, BPS serves as a key reference point for economic actors, the Budget Committee, and parliamentary commissions,” said Said at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, Tuesday, July 15, 2025.

To note, BPS typically releases poverty and unemployment data twice per year. Poverty data is reported for the March and September periods, with official releases occurring in July and January of the following year, respectively.

In January 2025, BPS reported that poverty levels in Indonesia as of September 2024 stood at 24.06 million people or 8.57% of the population. This reflected a decrease from March 2024, which recorded 25.22 million poor people or 9.03%.

Meanwhile, the National Labor Force Survey (Sakernas) is also conducted biannually, in February and August. The most recent data indicated that unemployment rose in February 2025 compared to February 2024.

BPS Chief Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti explained that, as of February 2025, there were 7.28 million unemployed individuals, representing 4.76% of the total labor force, which was recorded at 153.05 million people.

“There were 7.28 million unemployed. Compared to February 2024, this figure increased by 83,000 people or 1.11%,” said Amalia during a press conference at the BPS office on Monday, May 5, 2025.

Bisnis Indonesia has reached out to BPS Head Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti to confirm the unemployment and poverty figures reported to President Prabowo. However, no response had been received at the time this report was published.