Minister Agung Laksono: Population of Indonesia is Growing Too Fast
Minister of People’s Welfare Agung Laksono said that Indonesia's current population growth pace is alarming and immediate action is needed to reduce the country's growth and birth rates. Laksono made this statement after opening the National Congress on the Population Program, Family Planning and Family Development in 2014 on Wednesday (12/02). According to the Minister, family planning programs have not had much success over the past decade. If not acted upon, the population number can exceed government projections.
Based on government projections, the number of Indonesians will increase from 237.6 million in 2010 to 271.1 million in 2020 and 305.6 million by 2035. Currently, Indonesia's population size is estimated at roughly 250 million people (United Nations' estimate). As such, it is the world's fourth most populous country after China (1.36 billion), India (1.24 billion) and the USA (317 million). By 2035, however, Nigeria is expected to overtake Indonesia in terms of population size.
Laksono would like to see improved performance of the country's family planning programs (coordinated by the National Family Planning Coordinating Board/BKKBN) through better planning and cooperation with regional economic development programs. Head of the BKKBN Fasli Jalal said that Indonesia's annual population growth rate is 1.49 percent currently.
Click here for a detailed analysis of Indonesia's population. This section discusses the strength of Indonesia's demographic composition, population growth and its relation to economic expansion.