Joko Widodo (; born Mulyono, ; 21 June 1961), often known mononymously as Jokowi (), is an Indonesian politician and businessman who served as the seventh president of Indonesia from 2014 to 2024. Previously a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), he was the country's first president not to emerge from the political or military elite. Before becoming president, he served as mayor of Surakarta from 2005 to 2012 and as governor of Jakarta from 2012 to 2014.
Born and raised in Surakarta, Widodo studied at Gadjah Mada University and later worked in the furniture industry, including as an exporter, before entering politics. As mayor of Surakarta, he gained national attention for his populist style, emphasis on urban redevelopment, and direct engagement with residents through visits. His tenure as governor of Jakarta further raised his national profile, with policies on healthcare, education, bureaucratic reform, flood mitigation, and public transport.
In the 2014 Indonesian presidential election, Widodo was nominated by the PDI-P and defeated Prabowo Subianto, before being re-elected in 2019. As president, he prioritised infrastructure development, social welfare expansion, bureaucratic reform, and economic development. His administration also pursued a pragmatic foreign policy centred on sovereignty, economic diplomacy, maritime affairs, and a more assertive response to issues such as illegal fishing and disputes in the South China Sea. Other major initiatives of his presidency included the planned relocation of Indonesia's capital to Nusantara.
Widodo's presidency has drawn both praise and criticism. Supporters have credited him with expanding infrastructure, improving public services, and maintaining political popularity, while critics pointed to his use of the death penalty, restrictions on civil liberties, weakened anti-corruption efforts, environmental controversies, and signs of democratic backsliding. His final years in office were overshadowed by accusations of political interference and dynastic politics, especially after his son Gibran Rakabuming Raka became Prabowo's running mate in the presidential election of 2024. After leaving office that year, Widodo's falling out with the PDI-P culminated in his expulsion from the party, with Widodo joining the Indonesian Solidarity Party the following year.
Early life and education Joko Widodo was born as Mulyono at Brayat Minulya General Hospital in Surakarta on 21 June 1961. Of Javanese heritage, he is the only son of Widjiatno Notomihardjo and Sudjiatmi and the eldest of four siblings. His father came from Karanganyar, while his grandparents came from a village in Boyolali. His three younger sisters are Iit Sriyantini, Idayati, and Titik Relawati. Because he was often sick as a toddler, his name was later changed—a common practice in Javanese culture—to Joko Widodo, with widodo meaning "healthy" in Javanese. At the age of 12, he began working in his father's furniture workshop. During his youth, his family lived in three different rented homes, one of which was later declared condemned by the government, an experience that strongly affected him. He later cited such experiences in developing low-income housing in Surakarta during his mayoralty.
Jokowi began his education at State Elementary School 111 Tirtoyoso, an ordinary public school. He continued at State Junior High School 1 Surakarta. He had hoped to attend State Senior High School 1 Surakarta, but his entrance-exam score was not high enough, and he instead enrolled at State Senior High School 6 in the city. When he was in college, his KKN buddies nicknamed him 'Jack'.
Business career After graduating from university, Widodo began working at PT (KKA), a state-owned company in Aceh, Sumatra. Between 1986 and 1988, he worked in what is now Bener Meriah Regency as a supervisor of forestry and raw materials at a Sumatran pine plantation. He soon lost interest in the company and returned home. He then worked in his grandfather's furniture factory for a year before establishing his own business, Rakabu, named after his first child. He raised his initial capital through a Rp 15 million contribution from his father and a bank loan. The company, which mainly produced teak furniture, nearly went bankrupt at one point but survived after receiving an IDR 500 million loan from Perusahaan Gas Negara. By 1991, it had begun exporting and found success in international markets. The company first entered the European market through France, and it was through a French client named Bernard who gave Joko Widodo the nickname "Jokowi".
By 2002, Widodo had become chairman of Surakarta's furniture manufacturers association. He eventually decided to enter politics and pursue reform in his hometown of Surakarta after observing the orderly layout of several European cities while promoting his furniture there. After becoming mayor, he also entered a joint venture with politician and former lieutenant general Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, when the two founded PT Rakabu Sejahtera, combining Rakabu with Luhut's PT Toba Sejahtera.
In 2018, Jokowi reported a net worth of Rp 50.25 billion (US$3.5 million as of 2018), most of it in the form of property holdings in Central Java and Jakarta.
Early political career Mayor of Surakarta
After joining PDI-P in 2004, Jokowi contested the 2005 mayoral election in Surakarta with F. X. Hadi Rudyatmo as his running mate, backed by PDI-P and the National Awakening Party. The pair won 36.62 per cent of the vote against the incumbent Slamet Suryanto and two other candidates. During the campaign, many questioned his background as a property and furniture businessman. One academic study, however, argued that his leadership style succeeded in building an interactive relationship with the public, allowing him to inspire strong trust among residents. He also adopted aspects of the development model of European cities, which he had frequently visited as a businessman, as a guide for changes in Surakarta.
His notable policies as mayor included the construction of new traditional markets and the renovation of existing ones, the creation of a 7-kilometre city walk with a 3-metre-wide pedestrian path along Surakarta's main street, the revitalisation of Balekambang and Sriwedari parks, stricter rules on cutting down trees along major roads, and the rebranding of the city as a centre of Javanese culture and tourism under the slogan "The Spirit of Java". He also promoted Surakarta as a centre for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE), launched healthcare and education insurance programmes for residents, and introduced a local bus rapid transit system, Batik Solo Trans, as well as Solo Techno Park, which helped support the Esemka Indonesian car project.
It was during his tenure as mayor that he began the practice, making impromptu visits to neighbourhoods to hear residents' concerns directly, a style that later became a hallmark of his political career. He also barred family members from bidding for city projects, which he said was intended to reduce the risk of corruption. Some of his policies brought him into conflict with the then governor of Central Java, Bibit Waluyo, who at one point called Jokowi a "fool" over his opposition to a provincial construction project in Surakarta.
His supporters pointed to rapid changes in Surakarta under his leadership and to the city's branding under the motto 'Solo: The Spirit of Java'. While in office, he relocated antique stalls in Banjarsari Gardens without unrest, a move presented as part of the effort to restore the site's role as open green space. He also stressed the importance of business participation in community life and improved communication with residents through regular appearances on local television. As part of the city's rebranding, he applied for Surakarta to join the Organization of World Heritage Cities, which accepted the city in 2006, and Surakarta was later chosen to host the organisation's conference in October 2008.
In 2007, Surakarta also hosted the World Music Festival (Festival Musik Dunia/FMD) at the Fort Vastenburg complex near the city centre. The following year, the festival was held in the Mangkunegaran Palace complex.
Part of Jokowi's style was a populist, can-do approach () intended to build ties with a broad electorate. As mayor, he became personally involved in an incident just before Christmas 2011, when the Surakarta municipality had overdue electricity bills of nearly $1 million (IDR 8.9 billion) owed to the state-owned electricity company Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN). As part of a stricter policy on collecting overdue bills, PLN cut power to the city's street lights just before Christmas. The city government quickly authorised payment but also protested that PLN should have considered the public interest before acting. To reinforce the point, Jokowi made a widely publicised visit to the local PLN office to deliver the IDR 8.9 billion in cash, in the form of hundreds of bundles of banknotes and even small coins.
In 2010, he was re-elected for a second term, again with Hadi as his running mate. They won 90.09 per cent of the vote and lost in only a single polling station. He was later named Tempo magazine's 'Leader of Choice' in 2008 and received a 'Changemakers Award' from Republika in 2010. His name also began to appear in national polls for the Jakarta governorship well before PDI-P formally nominated him, including surveys by the University of Indonesia and Cyrus Network in 2011.
In 2012, after declaring his intention to run in the Jakarta gubernatorial election, Jokowi faced a smear campaign. A group calling itself the Save Solo, Save Jakarta and Save Indonesia Team (TS3) reported him to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), alleging that he had facilitated the misuse of education funds by subordinates in Surakarta in 2010. The KPK investigated the allegation, found that it was based on false data, and stated that there was no indication Jokowi had misappropriated funds.
Governor of Jakarta
Despite disappointment among some Surakarta residents that he would not complete his second term as mayor, Jokowi ran in the 2012 Jakarta gubernatorial election and defeated the incumbent Fauzi Bowo in a runoff. His inner circle of advisers in Jakarta reportedly included figures such as F. X. Hadi 'Rudy' Rudyatmo, Sumartono Hadinoto and Anggit Nugroho, who had worked with him while he was mayor of Surakarta, as well as Basuki Tjahaja Purnama ("Ahok"), his deputy governor. Jokowi continued the style he had adopted as mayor of Surakarta by regularly visiting neighbourhoods, especially slum areas. During these visits, he wore simple informal clothes and stopped at markets or walked through narrow alleys to hear residents' concerns directly, including food prices, housing problems, flooding and transport. Polling and media coverage suggested that this hands-on approach was highly popular both in Jakarta and elsewhere in Indonesia.
After he took office, tax revenues and Jakarta's provincial budget rose significantly, from IDR 41 trillion in 2012 to IDR 72 trillion in 2014. Jokowi and Ahok both publicised their monthly salaries and the provincial budget. They also introduced programmes aimed at improving transparency, including online tax reporting, e-budgeting, e-purchasing and a cash-management system. In addition, meetings and activities attended by Jokowi and Ahok were recorded and uploaded to YouTube.