Indonesian women overtake men in financial literacy for first time
National survey shows overall financial understanding rising, with women's literacy surpassing men's in a notable shift
JAKARTA, Indonesia (MNTV) — Financial literacy in Indonesia has risen, with women outscoring men for the first time, according to the 2026 national survey by the Financial Services Authority (OJK), the country’s financial regulator, reported by Tempo.
The national financial-literacy index — a measure of how well people understand financial products and services — climbed to 69.57 percent from 66.64 percent in 2025, OJK chair Friderica Widyasari Dewi said, while the financial-inclusion index, tracking actual access to financial services, rose to 93.61 percent.
“The educational approach certainly cannot be one-size-fits-all,” she said, calling for a “life-cycle approach.”
Women’s literacy rose to 69.61 percent, edging past men’s 69.54 percent — the first time women have led — and women’s inclusion likewise surpassed men’s.
By occupation, employees and professionals scored highest at 85.12 percent, while retirees jumped to 85.15 percent from 74.11 percent. Students and farmers remained lower, at 62.72 and 59.75 percent.
The survey, conducted with the statistics agency and the deposit-insurance body, covered 75,000 respondents across all 38 provinces.
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