🇮🇩 Indonesia Update – August 2025

Indonesia is going through a turbulent time right now:

Protests & Unrest: Big demonstrations are happening across cities like Jakarta, Bandung, and Makassar. People are angry about lawmakers’ high allowances and a recent police incident that left a young man dead. Some protests turned violent, including a fire at a regional parliament building that caused casualties.

Economy: Growth has slowed a bit (around 4.7%), jobs are under pressure, and the middle class feels squeezed. Still, Indonesia’s fundamentals remain stable, and new investment funds plus trade deals with the U.S. (for palm oil, cocoa, and rubber) are giving hope.

Geopolitics: With U.S.–China tensions, Chinese companies are moving investments to Indonesia, especially in West Java.

Politics: President Prabowo is giving the military a bigger role in civilian life, which some critics say could weaken democracy.

👉 For expats, this means you’ll likely see more demonstrations in city centers, some traffic disruptions, but also interesting economic opportunities as Indonesia works through its challenges.