Jakarta – The number of Indonesians living in poverty continued to be on the rise as of last September, as weakening economic growth curbed income opportunities among the country's most underprivileged, data from the Central Statistics Agency showed on Tuesday.

More than 28.5 million people, or 11.1 percent of Indonesia's population, earned an income considered to be below the poverty line at Rp 344,809 ($24.8) a month.

The figure is a marked increase from 27.7 million Indonesians living in poverty, or 10.9 percent of the population, in 2014. However, it is still a decline from 28.6 million people recorded in March 2015.

The statistics agency, or BPS, conducts its poverty survey twice a year in March and September, to capture the cyclical effects of harvest seasons on poverty.

Maluku and Papua remain the country's poorest regions, with 22 percent of their population living under the poverty line. On the other hand, only 6.45 percent of Kalimantan's residents are low-income earners.

The Indonesian economy likely expanded by 4.7 percent last year, the weakest growth since 2009 and slowing down from 5 percent in 2014.

The country's income has been under pressure from the drop in global demand for commodities, the main source of income for most underprivileged workers.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/business/poverty-rise-indonesia-statistics-agency/