Population of Indonesia Grows at Worrying Pace, Says BKKBN
The population of Indonesia, which numbers over 255 million people in 2015 (unofficial data), grows at a worrying pace according to Surya Chandra Surapaty, Head of the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN). Currently, Indonesia's average annual population growth rate stands at 1.49 percent. This means that each year the Indonesian population expands by 4.5 million people (nearly the size of Singapore's total population).
BKKBN Head Surapaty considers the growth pace a cause for concern as most of Indonesia's newborn babies are born in the nation's poorer areas (such as slums or rural fishing villages), implying that they lack access to good education and therefore do not have a conducive context to develop higher-level skills required to obtain higher incomes (employment), higher savings, and higher investment opportunities (for example buying a house), hence breaking away from poverty.
The National Population and Family Planning Agency specifically targets these poorer areas for family planning and family development programs. Surapaty admitted that fruits of the government's family planning program had declined over the past decade.
Indonesia is the world's fourth-largest country in terms of population size (after China, India and the United States). Based on government projections, announced in early 2014, the number of Indonesians will grow from 237.6 million in 2010 to 271.1 million in 2020 and to 305.6 million by 2035.
Population of Indonesia:
| 2010 | 2015¹ | 2020¹ | 2035¹ | |
| Population of Indonesia (in million) |
237.6 | 255.0 | 271.1 | 305.6 |
Sources: Indonesian Government & Statistics Indonesia (BPS)
¹ Government projections, unofficial data
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