BNPB adopts new Constitutional Court criteria for disaster status

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) has announced its compliance with Constitutional Court Decision Number 261/PUU-XXIII/2025, which clarifies the criteria for declaring national and regional disaster statuses in Indonesia.

Previously, five indicators—number of victims, property loss, damage to infrastructure, affected area size, and socio-economic impact—were understood to need full fulfillment to determine disaster status. Under the new ruling, these five indicators do not all need to be met. For a national disaster status to be declared, at least three of the five indicators must be satisfied, with the number of victims serving as the primary mandatory indicator.

BNPB emphasized that disaster response and aid for affected communities remain a priority regardless of whether a formal national disaster status has been declared. The agency stated that all status determinations must be based on accurate field data and real conditions. To support this, BNPB will strengthen its rapid assessment, data collection, and impact analysis processes to assist government decision-making.