Indonesia's economy ready to move toward 6% growth : Minister

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said Indonesia's economy is ready to accelerate toward 6 percent growth after his first year in office as the country's finance minister.

He made the statement at a media briefing in Jakarta on Tuesday, marking one year since he took office as finance minister on Sept. 8, 2025.

“I think growth in the third quarter of this year could approach 6 percent. For me, the most interesting thing as an economist is when theory is tested in the field and the results match reality,” Purbaya said.

He said Indonesia had moved beyond the stagnant growth trend of around 5 percent, although economic growth remained subject to fluctuations.

“Although Indonesia's economy is not running at full speed yet, I can assure you that we have moved beyond 5-percent growth. Growth was 5.39 percent in the fourth quarter of last year, 5.61 percent in the first quarter of 2026 and 5.29 percent in the second quarter. It slowed slightly due to global disruptions, but now we are ready to move toward 6 percent again,” he said.

Purbaya acknowledged that several challenges remained and had prevented the economy from reaching its full growth potential.

One of them was public confidence in the economy.

He said he had studied the macroeconomic concept of a self-fulfilling prophecy, in which policymakers shape expectations to encourage the economy to move in a desired direction.

Against this backdrop, Purbaya said he had adopted an optimistic stance to encourage the public and investors to believe that the economy would improve. He said the economy could instead move toward recession if consumers and investors became convinced that such a downturn was imminent.

“It is difficult to achieve that in the short term. It is not arrogance, but a design to shape expectations in a positive direction,” Purbaya said.

As a result, he said the private sector, which serves as an engine of economic growth, had begun to move faster than before. The government, he added, was also performing its role in supporting economic growth.

If those conditions were maintained, Purbaya said he was confident that 6-percent economic growth could be achieved in the near future.

“If this is maintained, 6-percent growth is not too far away. We could see it in the not-too-distant future,” he said.

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Translator: Imamatul, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Primayanti
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