Indonesia Stat Essay
History of the Country
Indonesia is a country located in the Southeast Asia region, with a population of over 200 million people (The World Bank, 2020c) with Jakarta as its capital city. The country is home to people of different ethnicities, making it significantly culturally diverse. It ranks as one of the most populated in the world. With a high population comes the challenge of maintaining an excellent economic status. It is important to note that the country, despite its high population, ranks high in the world in purchasing power ranking (The World Bank, 2020c). The country is highly volcanic due to its geographical structure. Natural disasters are some of the issues affecting countries in the Southeast region, and Indonesia is one of those affected. 30% of the population is employed in the agriculture sector (The World Bank, 2020a). Agriculture is a sector that plays a significant role not only in the employment of Indonesians but also in the economy. It is interesting to note that a massive number of the population lives in urban areas. The fact could be a considerable contribution to the high air pollution levels experienced in the country. Other challenges include overpopulation in major cities such as Jakarta
Country Status
The high economic ranking means that measures to eradicate poverty have been successfully executed. The country exports crude petroleum, gas, and rubber, to name a few. The high number of people in urban areas is indicative of employment in these areas. Indonesia has cut its poverty rate by 9% between 1999 and 2019 (The World Bank, 2020c). Despite being one of the populous countries in the world and a lower-middle-income country, the GDP has seen steady growth over the years. As of 2018, the country’s’ GDP stood at 1.042 trillion U.S. dollars. The poverty rate had also decreased from 19.1 in 2000 to 9.8 in 2018. Life expectancy has taken a similar upward trajectory from 65.7 to 71.2 in 2017 (The World Bank, 2020b). All of these factors can be attributed to an improved economic structure of the country. Countries with high poverty rates are more likely to have a lower life expectancy and a high unemployment rate. Life expectancy is impacted not only by lack of employment but also by a lack of health care services. For the country to have a high life expectancy rate, it means it has put in measures to reduce poverty and improve health care services.
Challenge Facing Indonesia
Overpopulation
Indonesia is a highly populated country ranking fourth in the world. Its economy ranks at position ten on a global level (Vaessen, 2016). Despite the encouraging economic statistics, the country’s vast population has a negative impact. Overpopulation is one such negative effect that Indonesia is grappling. Essential services such as transport become a challenge due to significant numbers of people requiring public transportation. For example, boarding a bus becomes a fete for the most aggressive as opposed to queuing. A belief that more children equate to increased benefits is probably one of the reasons behind overpopulation (Vaessen, 2016). An increase in births, which increases the overall population, should go hand in hand with increasing resources. The increase in children, however, does not necessarily match the rise in support. As a result, the population exceeds the available resources leading to an economic challenge. Urbanization is more prevalent in cities, translating to the availability of jobs in urban areas compared to rural areas. It is not surprising that Jakarta has an astronomical population. Overpopulation has challenges that include but are not limited to lack of adequate health services and education.
Health Care Services
An increased income means that people can afford health care coverage. Low income, on the other hand, translates to people not accessing medical cover. As the population increases, jobs become more elusive and competitive. More people lack employment resulting in decreased access to hospital services. As the access to health care services dwindles, the life expectancy rate ultimately drops as well. Though life expectancy has increased over the years, the increasing population without access to health care will eventually lead to a decreased life expectancy. If the country does not have the necessary health system infrastructure to cater to the growing population, then medical care will be compromised.
Education
School enrollment decreased from 109.2 in 2012 to 106.4 in 2018 (The World Bank, 2020c). Though it is not clear what attributed to the drop, an increase in population could be an attributing factor. Having many children could pose a challenge at a family level. Even though education in public schools may be provided free of charge, other factors may attribute to decreased enrollment. Household demands, as well as education quality, are factors that could contribute to low enrollment. Education quality links to the economic status of a county. As the population grows and resources outmatched, quality is likely to be compromised, leading to a decrease in enrollment.
Employment
Overpopulation of cities such as Jakarta translates to employment being highly competitive. As more people find jobs in cities and upgrade their economic status, more individuals are likely to move to cities for better work. If employment opportunities do not grow in tandem with the population, there will be an increase in the unemployment rate. The economic status of the country would automatically decline due to a rise in the poverty level.
Ways of Increasing Development
Overpopulation poses a challenge to the outlined issues and the availability of basic amenities such as food, water, and housing. To increase development, Indonesians have to avert from the belief that more children equate to more benefits. The Indonesian government and other stakeholders in the private sector would have to create awareness. Increasing exports, as opposed to imports, is yet another way that the country could increase development. A scenario where exports exceed imports affects the country’s trade balance. Improving the agricultural sector to a more significant percentage would ensure the availability of food for the vast population and increase economic status. Increasing resources is essential to cater to people. It is crucial to note that an increase in resources requires good governance devoid of corruption. Management by the government plays a significant role in dealing with resource identification and allocation.
Resources and the Expected Gain
The country imports foods such as rice to feed its vast population (Vaessen, 2016). Funds should be allocated to agriculture by acquiring better agricultural techniques to facilitate farming on the already scarce fields. Urbanization should not only focus on cities but rural areas as well. Such a move would decrease the rate of immigration to urban towns and cities, decreasing overpopulation rates. The availability of jobs in rural areas would also be made possible by the rural urbanization strategy. The unemployment challenge likely to result from overpopulation would minimize. The equality, which refers to the access of services and opportunities at level ground, would also reduce overcrowding in cities. Even though these strategies may not reduce congestion at a national level, they would cut it at a local level. Information at the federal and community level should also be at hand concerning birth control. Overpopulation at the national level can only be solved through birth control. A controlled population and increased resources would lead to an expanded economic state. The country’s GDP would take an upward trajectory while increasing the Human Development Index as well. Income significantly impacts HDI while the availability of jobs due to urbanization effects income.
References
The World Bank. (2019a). Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) | Data. Retrieved 16 May 2020, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS
The World Bank. (2020b). Indonesia | Data. Data.worldbank.org. Retrieved 19 May 2020, from
https://data.worldbank.org/country/indonesia.
The World Bank. (2020c). Overview. World Bank. Retrieved 19 May 2020, from
https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/indonesia/overview.
Vaessen, S. (2016). Indonesia facing overpopulation crisis? Aljazeera.com. Retrieved 19 May
2020, from https://www.aljazeera.com/blogs/asia/2015/03/indonesia-facing-overpopulation-crisis-150319200635063.html.