Indonesian office worker Dedi Ardila, 28, doesn’t dare dream of owning his own home. His modest monthly income is entirely consumed by his young family, his parents, and his wife’s brother — all of whom live with him. He is supposed to be part of the generation who will contribute to Indonesia’s economic rise. Instead, he and millions of other Indonesians are struggling to get by.
In 2012, Indonesia entered a period where a phenomenon known as the ‘demographic dividend’ became possible. Between 2012 and 2040, Indonesia’s dependency ratio is expected to be below 50. This means that every 100 people of working age are responsible for fewer than 50 people of non-productive age (the very old and the very young).
The large proportion of productive age people relative to dependents is closely linked to the government’s success in family planning. The number of children per woman declined from 5.6 children in 1971 to 2.3 in 2020.
