Poverty and living standards in Papua, Indonesia: official figures
17.82% of people in Papua lived below the poverty line in September 2025, 5th highest of 38 provinces; the national poverty rate was 8.25%.
How many people live in poverty in Papua?
About 160 thousand people in Papua were poor in September 2025, 12th lowest of 38 provinces for the number of poor people (Indonesia: 23.36 million).
Source: Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), Secretariat General · saved copyWhat is the poverty line in Papua?
The poverty line in Papua was Rp 736,720 per person per month in September 2025, 13th highest of 38 provinces; the national line was Rp 641,443.
Source: Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), Secretariat General · saved copyIs poverty higher in rural or urban areas of Papua?
Poverty in Papua was 5.85% in cities and towns and 38.00% in rural areas in September 2025 (national: 6.60% urban, 10.72% rural).
Source: Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), Secretariat General · saved copyHow many poor people live in rural Papua?
Of the 160 thousand poor people in Papua in September 2025, 33 thousand lived in urban areas and 127 thousand in rural areas.
Source: Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), Secretariat General · saved copyHow deep is poverty in Papua?
The poverty depth index in Papua was 3.61 and the poverty severity index 1.01 in September 2025 (national: 1.29 and 0.30); the depth index is 4th highest of 38 provinces, and a higher value means the poor live further below the poverty line.
Source: Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), Secretariat General · saved copyHow unequal is Papua?
The Gini index of spending inequality in Papua was 0.397 in 2025 (0 is perfect equality, 1 is total inequality), joint 4th most unequal of 38 provinces; the national index was 0.363.
Source: Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), Secretariat General · saved copyIs inequality rising in Papua?
Inequality in Papua fell from 0.405 in 2024 to 0.397 in 2025; nationally the Gini index fell from 0.390 to 0.363.
Source: Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), Secretariat General · saved copyHow Papua compares with other special autonomy provinces
Share of people below the poverty line (September 2025)
Papua ranks 5 of 38, highest first.
| Rank | Region | Share of people below the poverty line |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Highland Papua | 27.21% |
| 3 | West Papua | 19.58% |
| 4 | South Papua | 19.26% |
| 5 | Papua | 17.82% |
| 6 | East Nusa Tenggara | 17.50% |
| 7 | Southwest Papua | 17.50% |
| 8 | Maluku | 15.25% |
Gini index of spending inequality (2025)
Papua ranks 5 of 38, highest first. 0 is perfect equality, 1 is total inequality
| Rank | Region | Gini index of spending inequality |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | DKI Jakarta | 0.423 |
| 3 | Special Region of Yogyakarta | 0.414 |
| 4 | West Java | 0.397 |
| 5 | Papua | 0.397 |
| 6 | Riau Islands | 0.385 |
| 7 | Gorontalo | 0.383 |
| 8 | West Papua | 0.383 |
Poverty depth index (P1) (September 2025)
Papua ranks 4 of 38, highest first. How far the average poor person falls below the poverty line
| Rank | Region | Poverty depth index (P1) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central Papua | 7.94 |
| 2 | Highland Papua | 5.99 |
| 3 | South Papua | 4.07 |
| 4 | Papua | 3.61 |
| 5 | Southwest Papua | 3.21 |
| 6 | Maluku | 3.14 |
| 7 | East Nusa Tenggara | 2.89 |
More on Papua: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · government budget · Indonesia
Sources
- Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), Secretariat General: Profil Kesehatan Indonesia 2025, Lampiran 1.8: Gini index by province, 2021-2025 (Susenas, Statistics Indonesia), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 d90b802535dc…)
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