Saving, Spending,
and Loan Habits
Across Generations

What savings, spending and borrowing reveal about what holistic financial wellbeing means in Indonesia

This report is the third in a five-part series exploring financial mindsets in Indonesia’s Tier 1 cities. It examines how different generations earn, spend, save, and what those choices reveal about the lives they’re trying to build.

In a landscape marked by rapid digital growth and uneven financial literacy, these behaviors reflect both the possibilities people are reaching for and the barriers they continue to face. Understanding these day-to-day decisions can help financial institutions and policymakers design services that align more closely with how people live and what they hope to achieve.

Across generations, money plays different roles. For many, managing money means stretching every paycheck to cover both needs and obligations. Some want to save but can’t, often dipping into loans to stay afloat. Gen X and Millennials juggle family responsibilities and debt, while Gen Z leans into experience-driven spending: concert tickets, merchandise, and moments that feel worth the cost. Behind each decision is a tension between short-term relief and long-term goals, shaped by what they can afford, what they aspire to, and the trade-offs they live with every day.

Seeing these perspectives clearly can lead to the design of tools and systems that support people’s holistic financial well-being and life aspirations.

Nastiti Dewanti