Recently, there have been many reports about the weakening of Indonesia’s middle class. The middle class in Indonesia has been shrinking since 2018 and now makes up only 17% of the total population. However, consumption growth often relies on the middle class. Unsurprisingly, Indonesia’s consumption growth has long lagged behind that of other countries in the region, except Thailand.
Mar 23, 2025
Some time ago, my colleague Anton and I were invited to chat on the Indah G Show platform. It was a casual, mostly spontaneous conversation. Unfortunately, in these impromptu settings, I often don’t have data memorized, and there’s no opportunity to check data – or at least doing so would break the flow. Quite different from chatting on Twitter, which is asynchronous.
Jan 18, 2025
I was invited by The Conversation Indonesia to discuss the declining middle class trend. We discussed why this is happening and how significant the implications are for Indonesia’s economy. Personally, I believe the declining middle class trend should serve as an alarm for all of us.
Sep 18, 2024