Jakarta – The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an increase in the number of poor in Indonesia, with the figure reaching 26.42 million in March this year, according to the Central Bureau of Data (BPS).
The figure revealed a boost of 1.63 million compared to September, 2019.
The hardship rate also climbed up, with the variety of bad increasing by 1.28 million compared to March, 2019.
” If we look back at the results of the social market study on the effect of the pandemic, carried out by the bureau, it can be seen that the profits of all sections of individuals saw a decline,” said head of the BPS, Suhariyanto, at a virtual press instruction in Jakarta on Wednesday.
According to the BPS report, after the Indonesian government reported the COVID-19 break out in Indonesia in the start of March, the bureau performed a survey which revealed that 70 percent of people from the low earnings group, who were making under Rp1.8 million (around US$120) each month, confessed their earnings had actually decreased.
Meanwhile, 3 out of 10 people earning over Rp7.2 million (around US$500) monthly likewise reported a decline in earnings.
” This suggests that the pandemic hit all levels of the people, with the impact being felt harder by those at lower (income) levels,” Suhariyanto added.
The BPS, he continued, also recorded a downturn in family consumption and spending, which showed a development of just 2.8 percent in the very first quarter of 2020, a decline compared to the very same period in 2019 when the growth rate was over 5 percent.
Another sector that was struck by the pandemic was tourist, with the outbreak impacting several locations: from tenancy rates of hotels to craft-makers at a variety of tourist destinations.
As for products, from September, 2019 up until March, 2020, even though inflation rate was under control, a number of commodities became more costly.
The rate of cooking oil, pure-blooded chicken eggs, and granulated sugar increased by 13.35 percent.
Suhariyanto likewise said that in March, 2019, there were still a considerable variety of people (7.45 percent) on the verge of poverty, or those whose spending and income were slightly above that of the bad population.
” By taking note of these phenomena, in March, 2020, the BPS survey results revealed that the percentage of bad people had actually gone up from 9.22 percent to 9.78 percent, which amounts to 26.42 million poor citizens,” he revealed.
The study showed the number of bad residents in regional areas was significantly greater compared to city areas.
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