According to Statistics Indonesia, the poverty rate in the country is now 9 percent, a historic low. However, it’s higher than the government’s target to bring the poverty rate down to 7 percent.

Credits: Unsplash; Author: @anggit_mr;

While the figures were broadly welcomed, critics claim that the rate fell due largely to social assistance, such as cash handouts, rather than gains in overall living standards. Nonetheless, millions of Indonesians are living more comfortably than before.