The arrival of Covid-19 has created unprecedented challenges for the world. In Indonesia, the coronavirus has infected more than a million people since the first confirmed cases in March 2020 and tens of thousands have died. Coronavirus curbs on the economy and society continue to have a shocking impact on human development. After years of progress, poverty is rising again. One in ten people in Indonesia today are living below the national poverty line. Child poverty may increase significantly. The social impact would have been far worse had it not been for government assistance.

Over 85 per cent of surveyed households in Indonesia have received at least one form of government social assistance from Indonesia’s National Economic Recovery (PEN) Program, according to a nationwide survey in Indonesia, published today.

Indonesia’s statistics bureau has completed its once-a-decade population census despite the challenges of Covid-19