Indonesia is second only to China in economic growth, Armida said, pointing out Chinese economy grew 8.7 percent and Indonesia`s economy expanded 6.4 percent in the second quarter of the year.

Indonesia deserves to be proud that it could continue to chalk up a fairly strong growth when the world is beset by great uncertainty, she said here on Saturday.

She warned , however, of big global challenges for which the government needs the support of provincial administrations to be consistent in carrying out development.

She predicted the country`s economy would grow 6.5 percent in 2014 with unemployment rate less than 6 percent and poverty 10 percent and inflation below 6 percent.

Currently, the country`s unemployment rate is forecast to be around 5.8 percent - 6.1 percent in 2012, she said.

She said every growth of 1 percent in the economy will open 350,000 new jobs in the country.

Earlier the Central Statistic Agency (BPS) said the country`s GDP in the second quarter of this year was 6.4 percent on-year and 2.8 percent quarter to quarter .

In the first half of the year, the country`s economy grew 6.3 percent on-year, the agency said.

It said the growth drivers included the household consumption, which grew 5 percent, the government consumption which expanded 6.5 percent and exports and imports which respectively grew 4.8 percent and 99.5 percent on-year.