Page 49 - The World About Us

Manado kids
1.1.1
2.2.3

How is Indonesia’s population changing?

Natural increase
Child mortality~
Indonesia is the fourth most fig.132 Indonesia’s
Fer lity rate*
years at birth
populous country on Earth. Its changing
popula on was es mated to be popula on. Life expectancy births per 1000 deaths per 1000 % annual growth children/woman deaths per 1000
263 million in 2017. In 1955 the Birth rate Death rate
popula on was less than one third of Year
today's figure at 77.5 million. Around 1955 44 43 25 1.8% 5.5 192 * fer lity rate
58% of the total popula on live on records the mean
number of children
one island, Java, of which 20 million 1975 56 38 13 2.5% 5.3 99 born per mother.
live around the capital Jakarta. 1995 65 24 8 1.6% 2.9 49 ~ child mortality
records the number
As can be seen from figure 132, 2015 73 16 6 1.0% 2.1 23 of deaths of children
both Indonesia's birth and death before the age of 5.
rates have been falling steadily for
over 60 years. However, the death Indonesia’s growing population At current growth rates,
rate has been falling more quickly as Indonesia is set to become the
a result of improvements in general 300 world’s third largest popula on
health, reduced child mortality and 250 (a er China and India) in the
rising life expectancy. 2040s, overtaking the USA.
Indonesia has a very youthful 200 The total fer lity rate is
popula on with 25% of the falling, although more rapidly
popula on under the age of 15. This Indonesia’s total popula on (millions) 150 in the growing ci es than in
is likely to con nue into the rural areas, as Indonesians
foreseeable future as young couples 100 choose to have smaller
start their own families. This will lead families. It is this decline in
to a rising total popula on. Eventually 50 child mortality, on top of rising
this growth will begin to level out. 0 life expectancy, that is
The fer lity rate in Indonesia is 2.13, 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 contribu ng most to
a figure very similar to France. fig.133 Indonesia’s popula on growth.

fig.134 Indonesia’s fer lity rates by region. Falling fertility rates
The two regions with the lowest
fer lity rates are centred around the
rapidly expanding capital, Jakarta and
the southern Javan city of Yogyakarta.
Yogyakarta is a centre of economic
1.5 - 2
growth, drawing in new workers every
2 - 2.5
year from the countryside. It also has
2.5 - 3
ten universi es, a rac ng students from
3.5 - 4 across the country. Yogyakarta has a
4 - 4.5 Total Fertility Rate (live births per woman) ‘very high’ HDI of 0.837.
Under Dutch colonial rule poor Javanese
Transmigration farmers were encouraged to move to work on fig.135 Transmigra on: a tool of conquest?

Dutch-owned planta ons in Sumatra. This was
called transmigra on. Under Presidents Sukarno and Suharto the policy of transmigra on
was expanded, se ling families from Java, Bali and Madura across the archipelago into
new homes as far away as Sumatra, Kalimantan or West Papua. Over 20 million people we
encouraged to move with grants and promises of land.
While this policy reduced overcrowding in Java, it created tensions in the des na on
islands. Transmigrants were used as part of the occupa on of East Timor, a er the
Indonesian invasion of 1974. Today, Javanese migrants outnumber the indigenous ethnic
popula on in West Papua, fuelling conflict and separa st movements. Transmigra on in
West Papua has been described by human rights ac vists as a “slow mo on genocide”.
The transmigra on policy was ended by president Widodo in 2015.

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Many factors contribute to a country’s economic development.