The World Bank recently revealed shocking data: 171.91 million Indonesians or 60.3% of the total population fall into the poor category based on the upper-middle income country standard. The threshold? US$6.85 or around Rp114,395 per day per capita.
Indonesia itself has been classified since 2023 as a country with upper-middle income, with an average per capita income reaching US$4,580 per year (around Rp80 million). However, economic disparity is still very real.
The good news is that this figure continues to decline: from 61.8% in 2023, it is projected to drop to 58.7% in 2025, then 57.2% in 2026, and 55.5% in 2027. The key driver? Household consumption, which, despite moderate growth, remains a key driver of the national economy.
However, on the other hand, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) has a different benchmark: a person is considered poor if their expenditure is below Rp595,242 per month. With this benchmark, only about 8.57% of the population or 24.06 million people are categorized as poor.
What Does It Mean for the Crypto World?
Amid economic inequality and limited access to formal finance, crypto and blockchain technology emerge as inclusive alternatives. Many people are starting to consider digital assets not just as investment instruments but also as solutions for:
Accessing the global financial system without bank intermediaries
Storing value with low inflation (like stablecoins or Bitcoin)
Gaining new income opportunities through staking, DeFi, and play-to-earn
If 60% of the population still struggles to meet basic needs, maybe it's time to ask: is the traditional financial system fair and open enough?
For the younger generation and those who are digitally literate, crypto is not just a trend—this could be a way out of the conventional economic trap.