Population Pyramid for Indonesia - Essay Example

Indonesia Population With an estimated population of 238,000,000 Indonesia is the fifth most highly-populated country in the world. According to a 2004 analysis, population per square kilometer is around 124. (Country Reports 2006). 29.4% of the population is aged 0-14 years (35.6 million males, 34.4 million females), and 5.1% of the population is aged 65 years and over (5.3 million males, 6.8 million females. 65.5% of the population is aged 15-64 years (78.1 million males, 78.15 million females). Over time the size of the 65 and over age group is expected to increase substantially - it is projected to be 9.2% of the total population by the year 2025. (U.S. Census Bureau) The population doubling time of the country is estimated at 43 years. (FAO) The median age for males is 25.7 and for females 26.6, giving a total median age population of 26.1. (Country Reports 2006) The sex ratio (m/f) at birth is 1.05, at 15-64 is 1.0, and at 65 and over is 0.78. Fig 1 - Population Pyramid for Indonesia, 2005 Fig 2 - Projected Population Pyramid for Indonesia, 2025 With 21 births and 6 deaths per 1,000 people, and 36 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, Indonesia has an annual growth rate of 1.4%. Life expectancy at birth is currently 69.6 years. The crude birth rate per 1000 people is 22.55 as per the 1998 census. (World Health Organization) The total fertility rate (per woman) is 2.4. The primary reasons for the decline in fertility rate in Indonesia are an increased use in contraception, which in turn is due to economic development, an increase in the education rate, and greater work force participation for women. (Shafiqul-Islam et. al 1995) Adult male and female literacy rates are at 93.4% and 85.5% respectively (WHO) The maternal mortality ratio, the infant mortality rate, and the under 5 mortality rate are all declining, due to several factors including increased immunization coverage, economic growth (particularly in rural areas), improvement in health facilities, and greater community awareness and participation. Constraints to reduction in mortality include increasing urbanization and poverty in remote island locations. (WHO) Ethnicity of Indonesia is Javanese 45%, Sudanese 14%, Madurese 7.5%, coastal Malays 7.5%, other 26%. Religious identity is Islam 88%, Protestant 5%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 2%, Buddhist 1%, other 1%. (Country Reports: Indonesia) Indonesia has become a global source of contract migrant workers, who secure jobs in another country for a contracted period. The push factor is the demand for unskilled labor in Australia and Thailand, for example. The scarcity of skilled workers in Indonesia is a major pull factor for immigration into the country. (UN) Figure 3 - Religious Affiliation Resources Average daily protein intake is 65.74 as per the 1999 census. The people of Indonesia consume an average of around 2,800 calories per day. (FAO) Indonesia has faced serious problems with malnutrition due to inadequate production and availability of certain foods. Rice is the staple of the majority of Indonesians, due to availability and expense of meat protein. (FAO) Insufficient awareness of nutritional needs and poor eating habits are among other reasons for malnutrition. Other nutritional issues such as anemia, iodine deficiency, and vitamin A deficiency are also prevalent. (WHO) Forestry is a significant employer in Indonesia, supplying around 3.7 million jobs. An estimated 51-57% of the land area of the country is covered in forest land, equating to 98-109 million hectares. 34% is designated for protection and national parks. Secondary forest products such as plywood, sawn timber, rattan, and paper are among the most important non-oil exports of the country. Switching to sustainable forest resources is crucial because the population of Indonesia is increasing relatively rapidly. The government plans to decrease reliance on natural forest areas for such products, and increase reliance on plantations, with the goal of having half the country's wood sourced from plantations by the year 2020. (FAO) Figure 4 - Use of Forest Land Several agricultural exports have been steadily increasing in worth over the last 30 years. For example palm oil has increased significantly, from 8.3% to 35.1% of total agricultural exports from 1979-2003. In the same period cocoa beans increased from 0.5% to 5.9% while rubber decreased from 41.7% to 21.2% of total agricultural exports. (FAO) Development Indonesia's Human Development index figure is 0.697, giving a rank of 110. The GDP of Indonesia is estimated at $827.4 billion, with a per capita GDP of $3,200, and an inflation rate of 6.9%. For comparison, the per capita GDPs of Luxemburg, the US, Norway, and Bermuda (the four highest countries in the world) are $55,000, $37,800, $37,700, and $36,000 respectively. The labor force of 100,500,000 people is placed as follows: 45% in agriculture, 39% in service, and 16% in industry, with 10% unemployed. 27% of the population lives below the poverty line. (Country Reports: Indonesia) Indonesia's export earnings total $63.89 billion, from oil and gas, electrical appliances, plywood, textiles, and rubber. Main export partners are Japan (21.1%), US (13.2), Singapore (9.4%), South Korea (7.2%) and China (5.1%). Import expenditure totals $40.2 billion, for machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, and foodstuffs. Main import partners are Japan (14.1%), Singapore (13.1%), US (8.5%), China (7.8%), South Korea (5.3%) and Australia (5.1%). (Country Reports: Indonesia) Fig 5 - Growth of Indonesian Exports and Imports in the Late 90s Indonesia finished its IMF program at the end of 2003 but is still a recipient of bilateral aid through the Consultative Group of Indonesia in the amount of $2.8 billion in 2004 and 2005. As the country hardest hit by the 2004 tsunami considerable aid money is for use in relief and rebuilding projects. (World Factbook 2006) Fig 6 - World Bank Disbursements to Indonesia Accessibility to clean water is at 88% in urban areas and 72% in rural areas however bacteriological standards of the water are relatively low, due to proximity of water tanks and septic tanks. Indonesia continues to experience food and water supply shortages due to El Nino weather patterns, economic crisis, and the 2004 tsunami that displaced over 400,000 people. Indonesia is a rapidly developing country, and with this comes environmental issues such as water pollution from industrial waste, and air pollution in urban areas. This is in addition to the problem of deforestation due to export of wood and wood products. As previously mentioned there is a program in place to reduce the country's reliance on natural forests, to alleviate the deforestation issue. (Country Reports 2006) Conclusion While still far behind most developed nations, Indonesia is a rapidly developing country. Literacy and general health have increased, and mortality has decreased very significantly in the years since the International Monetary Fund pledged aid for the country. However, with increasing development has come a very rapid population increase, and resulting environmental issues such as pollution and deforestation. While the country is taking care to ensure that serious deforestation of natural rainforests does not become a serious problem, pollution issues also need to be addressed. References World Health Organization. Country Health Profile. Retrieved April 22, 2006 from Country Reports: Indonesia. Retrieved April 22, 2006 from . Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Indonesia. Retrieved April 22, 2006 from Geohive Ranked Current World Population. Retrieved April 22, 2006 from . Growth of Exports and Imports. Retrieved April 23, 2006 from Religious Affiliation. Retrieved April 23, 2006 from Shafiqul-Islam, S.M., and Abdullah-Khan, H.T. (1995). Influences of Selected Socio-economic and Demographic Variables on Fertility in Bangladesh. Retrieved April 22, 2006 from . United Nations. (2003) Migration Patterns and Policies in the Asian and Pacific Region. Retrieved April 22, 2006 from U.S. Census Bureau. IDB Summary Demographic Data for Indonesia. Retrieved April 22, 2006 from . Use of Forest Land. World Bank Disbursements to Indonesia. Retrieved April 23, 2006 from World Factbook (2006). Retrieved April 23, 2006 from . World Food Program (2006). Retrieved April 23, 2006 from . Read More