Credit rating agency Standards & Poor's (S&P) says Indonesia (and Malaysia) need to increase efforts to build a good track record of timely and reasonable power tariffs adjustments in order to ensure decent returns for investors and recover their costs. Delays in energy price revisions, which are sometimes the result of political strategy, are the key risk that jeopardize the financial stability (and credit profile) of state-owned utility company Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN). S&P therefore advises the Indonesian government to enhance efforts to ensure a sound regulatory framework (i.e. a transparent tariff rate-setting mechanism).

Read more ›

The population of Indonesia, which numbers over 255 million people in 2015 (unofficial data), grows at a worrying pace according to Surya Chandra Surapaty, Head of the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN). Currently, Indonesia's average annual population growth rate stands at 1.49 percent. This means that each year the Indonesian population expands by 4.5 million people (nearly the size of Singapore's total population).

Read more ›

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) stated in a recently published report that Indonesia has made significant progress in reducing the country’s child mortality rate. According to the report, entitled “Committing to Child Survival: A Promise Renewed (Progress Report 2015)", Indonesia’s mortality rate for children below the age of five years currently stands at 27 deaths per 1,000 births, a significant improvement from the 85 deaths per 1,000 births that was recorded in 1990.

Read more ›

As Indonesia’s economic growth continued to slow in the second quarter of 2015, the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) warned of increasing unemployment in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. Each 1 percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth can generate between 200,000 and 300,000 new jobs in Indonesia. As such, when economic growth slows, society misses out on new jobs and with around two million Indonesians entering the labor force each year, job generation is an important task of the government.

Read more ›

On 7 June 2015, Indonesia Investments released the latest edition of its newsletter. This free newsletter, which is sent to our subscribers once per week, contains the most important news stories from Indonesia that have been reported on our website in the last seven days. Most of the topics involve economic subjects such as Indonesia’s May inflation and manufacturing activity, updates on the rupiah & Indonesian stocks, new initial public offerings (IPOs) on the Indonesia Stock Exchange, poverty, consumer confidence, and more.

Read more ›

Currently there are still 19.4 million Indonesians suffering from hunger each day, or, one-third of an estimated 60 million people that suffer from hunger in Southeast Asia. The figures are results of research conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. Mark Smulders, FAO Representative in Indonesia, said that there remains much work to be done. The priority of the FAO is to create ‘Generation Zero Hunger’ and to ensure that Indonesians get enough nutrition to live a productive and healthy life.

Read more ›

One month ahead of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, food prices in Indonesia have already began to rise. It is a traditional phenomenon that ahead of the Ramadan (and during this month as well as the subsequent Idul Fitri celebrations) inflation peaks as Indonesians spend more money on food products (for dinner parties in the evening after the daily fasting has ended) and other consumer products such as clothes and shoes. However, some concerns have arisen as a presidential regulation on price controls is yet to come out.

Read more ›

The price of rice in several Indonesian regions has risen by between 17 to 23 percent to IDR 8,500-9,000 per kilogram as rice production at the start of the year has not been able to meet rice demand. In January 2015, Indonesian rice production stood at 2 million tons, whereas demand reached 2.5 million tons. Inflation of rice is a sensitive issue in Indonesia because it jeopardizes declining poverty rates as poorer segments of Indonesian society spend over half of their total disposable income on food items, primarily rice.

Read more ›

On 4 January 2015, Indonesia Investments released the latest edition of its newsletter. This free newsletter, which is sent to our subscribers once per week, contains the most important news stories from Indonesia that have been reported on our website in the last seven days. Most of the topics involve economic matters such as updates on inflation, the trade balance, manufacturing, the rupiah exchange rate, poverty, an assessment of the IMF on Indonesia’s economic fundamentals, and more.

Read more ›

Relative and absolute poverty in Indonesia have declined according to the latest data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) released on Friday (02/01). In September 2014, there were a total of 27.73 million Indonesians categorized as poor, or 10.96 percent of the total population. Both figures were down from 28.6 million people, or 11.46 percent in September last year (BPS releases data on Indonesian poverty twice per year covering the state of poverty in the months of March and September).

Read more ›

Indonesia's poverty rate is expected to jump to between 11.13 and 11.37 percent of the total Indonesian population in 2013 due to inflationary pressures. Inflation may reach 9.2 percent at the year end. The new poverty forecast is significantly higher than the government's original target of 9.5 to 10.5 percent as set in the country's State Budget. The revised forecast was presented by Indonesia's Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas). Poverty basket inflation is expected to rise accordingly.

Read more ›

It is official. As of Saturday 22 June 2013, after months of uncertainty and speculation, the price of Indonesia's subsidized fuel has finally been raised. Starting from 0.00 am (midnight) on Saturday, all Indonesians have to pay a higher price of gasoline and diesel. Gasoline has been raised by 44 percent to IDR 6,500 (USD $0.66) and diesel by 22 percent to IDR 5,500 (USD $0.56) per liter. The minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Jero Wacik, made the announcement on late Friday evening, after which the hike took effect immediately.

Read more ›

Although Indonesia’s government stresses the need to relieve pressure on the state budget (by raising the price of subsidized fuel next month), it plans to allocate an additional IDR 16.1 trillion (USD $1.65 billion) to this year’s fuel subsidy budget. The additional allocation, which covers fuel, LPG and vegetable fuels, will raise government expenditure on fuel subsidies to IDR 209.9 trillion (USD $21.50 billion) from the IDR 193.8 trillion drafted in the original 2013 state budget (APBN 2013). Total energy subsidies will grow to IDR 309.9 trillion this year.

Read more ›

The economy of Indonesia is booming with gross domestic product (GDP) surpassing six percent on an annual basis. And the country's strong economic fundamentals are confirmed by increasing international attention. But within the context of this economic growth it is important to take a look at whether economic growth is shared by all segments of Indonesian society. If, for example, only the higher classes of Indonesia would benefit from the economic boom, it could give rise to social issues in the future.

Read more ›

In my previous column, I outlined the emergence of a new and promising class of Indonesian consumers that is most likely to bring a positive effect on the country's economic growth in the years ahead. I also pointed out that the level of prosperity of a population is an influential factor towards the state (and future) of democracy in a country: the wealthier a population becomes in terms of per capita GDP, the longer the life expectancy of its democracy will be.

Read more ›

Various high government officials, including president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Finance minister Agus Martowardojo and National Development Planning minister Armida Alisjahbana stated that Indonesia's economy is estimated to grow between 6.3 and 6.8 percent in 2014. Its main economic pillars of support are thought to be (foreign and domestic) investments, domestic consumption, and government expenditure. Poverty is targeted to be reduced to ten percent of the population.

Read more ›