REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The number of villages in the category of backward were 6,518 smaller in 2018 than in 2015, the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) said. BPS chief Suhariyanto , the decline in the number of backward villages was more than than the target of 5,000 villages set in the period of 2015-2019.

Meanwhile, the number of self supporting villages rose overshooting the target of 2,000 villages during the same period.

"This is an achievement deserving appreciation. This is thanks to hard work by the Ministry of Villages and other agencies. We hope the number of self supporting villages would continue to increase and those of backward villages would decline," Suhariyanto said here on Monday.

In 2018, the Village Development Index (IPD) showed ,there were 14,461 units of backward villages (19.17 percent), 55,369 developing villages (73.4 percent), and 5,606 self supporting villages (7.43 percent).

Suhariyanto said backward villages are found mainly in Papua, Maluku, and Kalimantan respectively . In Papua 87.12 percent of villages are backward, in West Papua 82.03 percent in Maluku 46 percent, North Maluku 37 percent and North Kalimantan 61 percent.

"In Papua , the problem is related to geographical condition with difficult terrain," he said.

Based on a study in 2018, the country has 83,931 village level government administrations , up 1,741 villages from 2014, Suharyianto said.

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