Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto recently revealed that the Netherlands had extracted a staggering US$31 trillion worth of wealth from Indonesia during its colonial rule over the archipelago. This amount is nearly 18 times Indonesia's current GDP of US$1.5 trillion and equivalent to 144 years of national budget spending. Prabowo made these remarks during a speech at a defence exhibition in Jakarta, citing a recent study that brought these figures to light.

Indonesia was under Dutch colonial rule for almost 350 years, from the 1600s until it gained independence in 1945. The Dutch East India Company and later the Dutch East Indies controlled the region during this period. Prabowo also pointed out that the Netherlands had the world's highest GDP per capita while Indonesia was under their rule.

During the colonial era, Indonesia's resources, including valuable spices like nutmeg, cloves, and pepper, were extensively exploited. Schemes like the Cultivation System forced locals to grow export crops such as coffee and sugarcane instead of food. This system, in place from 1830 to 1870, significantly contributed to the Dutch state coffers, with Indonesia providing about 31.5% of the funds between 1851 and 1870.