Page 60 - AEI Insights 2019 - Vol. 5, Issue 1

AEI Insights, Vol 5, Issue 1, 2019

such as Nusa Tenggara Timor and Papua in the Eastern parts of Indonesia have the highest
fertility rates.

Figure 3: Variation in Fertility Rate 2012, from Sonny Harry Budiotomo Harmadi, in: Kohler/Behrman (2017:
14)

One reason for the reduced population growth in Indonesia is that the Indonesian governments
since the late 1960s promoted the use of contraceptives. Family planning in Indonesia is until
now coordinated by the National Family Planning Coordinating Board (NFPCB).
Another factor which changed the demographic structure of Indonesia is the growing average
life expectancy. It has grown enormously in the last 70 years. In 1950, the average citizen died
with 38.8 years. This number moved up to 46.9 years in 1970 and 58.8 years in 1980. As we
can see in table 2, the life expectancy continued to grow from 1990 (62.67 for males and 65.67
for females) until 2015 (67.35 for males and 71.65 for females). It is expected to be above 70
years for both sexes in 2040.

Life Expectancy for Males Life Expectancy for Females
1990-95 62.67 65.67

2015-20 67.35 71.65
2040-45 70.31 75.60

Table 2: Data from Database Global Political Demography v1_20171006

All the above describe population developments in Indonesia led to a remarkable change of the
age structure of Indonesian society. Table 2 below shows the distribution of different age
sectors in 1990, 2015 and 2040 (UN prediction).

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