4 Curious Facts About the Indonesian Rupiah

Thinking of visiting Indonesia? Put your knowledge on their currency to the test with these 5 facts about the Indonesian rupiah!

History of the rupiah

The first Indonesian rupiah was issued on October 3, 1946. The country began phasing out the use of Japanese currency. The "rupiah" was given this name after the currency of India, the Indian rupee. At first, the government focused on printing 100-rupiah banknotes, because it was easier than printing several small-denomination notes.

 

 

 

 

 

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Mar 22, 2019 at 9:50pm PDT

Names for the currency

The official currency code for the Indonesian rupiah is IDR. It is often abbreviated as Rp or Rs. "Rupiah" is a name derived from the Sanskrit word for silver. Locally, Indonesian people use the word "perak" when referring to rupiah. 

Indonesian rupiah banknotes

There are 1000, 2000, 5000, 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 and 100,000 banknote denominations. The most common banknotes are the Rp. 50,000. The 10,000 banknotes are purple and the 20,000 banknotes are green, while the 50,0000 banknotes are blue and the 100,0000 banknotes are pink. 

Security features and watermarks

These banknotes utilize many different features in order to prevent counterfeiting. The notes have a security thread which is only visible when held up to the light. They also have microprinting which can only be read with a magnifier, and invisible ink that you can read under UV light. 

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