Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto aims to eliminate extreme poverty by 2026 and reduce Indonesia’s overall poverty rate from 8.7 percent to 4.5 percent by the end of his tenure in 2029, according to Chief Community Empowerment Minister Muhaimin Iskandar.

“Currently, 24.8 million people, or 8.7 percent of our population, live in poverty. By 2029, this figure should not exceed 4.5 percent, and ideally, we can reduce it even further,” Muhaimin said after chairing a ministerial meeting on poverty reduction Friday.

The meeting focused on concrete measures to address poverty, with Muhaimin stressing the need for synergy between ministries and agencies, particularly with Chief Human Development Minister Pratikno and 17 other institutions.

“These ministries and agencies will play a key role in executing the President’s directives. We will move forward together with a coordinated strategy to tackle poverty and extreme poverty,” he added.

A key instrument in this effort is the National Social and Economic Single Database (DTSEN), which Muhaimin said would be continuously validated to ensure accuracy and help direct aid to the right recipients.

He cited the Housing Ministry’s BSPS housing incentives and housing subsidy programs as examples of initiatives that rely on accurate data to ensure aid reaches those who need it most.

Housing Minister Maruarar Sirait welcomed the initiative, saying that reliable data is crucial for effectively implementing government programs.

“We can now proceed with BSPS and housing subsidies as directed by President Prabowo, ensuring precise targeting,” Maruarar said.

He said the database would prevent misallocation of aid, ensuring only those in need receive assistance.

“This data is crucial to prevent situations where the wealthy benefit while the poor are left out,” he added.

According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Indonesia’s poverty rate fell to 8.57 percent in September 2024, the lowest level since poverty data was first recorded in 1960. This marks a 0.46 percentage point decline from March 2024 and a 0.79 percentage point drop from the previous year.

The decrease was driven by strong economic growth, with the country’s GDP expanding by 5.35 percent in the third quarter of 2024.

As of September 2024, the poverty line was set at Rp 595,242 ($36.5) per capita per month, with rice, cigarettes, housing, and fuel contributing the most to household expenses.

Maluku and Papua had the highest poverty rate at 18.62 percent, while Kalimantan had the lowest at 5.3 percent. However, Java had the largest number of poor people, with 12.62 million living in poverty, while Kalimantan had the fewest at 0.91 million.