Decile data controversy: Indonesia’s parliament urges BPS to update records

Indonesia’s parliament has given Statistics Indonesia, known as BPS, a proposed two-week deadline to resolve disputes over the decile rankings that help determine who receives social assistance.

The issue came up during a hearing between BPS and House of Representatives Commission X on September 2, 2026. Lalu Hadrian Irfani, the commission’s deputy chair, said the discussion focused on gaps between official socio-economic classifications and residents’ actual living conditions.

“We also asked BPS to explain to the public what data sources are being used to determine these decile rankings,” Lalu told reporters after the meeting at the parliament complex in Jakarta. He also urged BPS to speed up reviews for people seeking to challenge or correct their classifications.

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We also asked BPS to explain to the public what data sources are being used to determine these decile rankings.

Eligible residents may lose access to assistance when their decile ranking is wrong, Lalu said. Commission X asked BPS to settle filed disputes within a maximum of two weeks, and he said the agency agreed to adopt the proposal.

Residents had previously complained that their status in the National Integrated Social and Economic Database, or DTSEN, did not match their real economic circumstances. BPS said people who believe their records are inaccurate can request verification through channels managed by the Social Affairs Ministry.

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Eligible citizens should have received this aid, but because of decile issues, they ultimately missed out.

BPS Main Secretary Zulkipli said residents can check their status using the Social Assistance Check feature. They can then file an objection through the BPS DTSEN portal or the ministry’s Social Assistance Check platform.

Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf said the government remains open to corrections. “We ask the public to report any cases where aid recipients are actually ineligible, or conversely, where eligible individuals have been excluded, so we can fix it immediately,” he said after a separate hearing in Jakarta on August 31.

Updates can also be submitted through neighbourhood and community-unit consultations, followed by review through sub-district offices and local social services using the SIKS-NG application. A separate participatory route allows direct submissions through the relevant public channels.

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We ask the public to report any cases where aid recipients are actually ineligible, or conversely, where eligible individuals have been excluded, so we can fix it immediately.