Indonesia economy hits trillion-dollar milestone

No celebration: A youth riding pillion rests his arms on the handlebars of a moving motorcycle being driven by an elder in Jakarta. Despite having the fourth-biggest population in the world – at more than 260 million – the government collects little tax from its citizens. — AFP

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s economy, the largest in South-East Asia, hit a milestone last year by reaching US$1 trillion, yet the mood wasn’t celebratory as the government continued to miss its revenue targets.

Gross domestic product (GDP) was an estimated US$1.004 trillion in 2017, but economic growth was probably lower than the 5.2% initially projected, according to figures released by Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati on Tuesday.