Author:
IBC Team
14 August 2024
The welfare of a nation is not solely determined by its GDP; rather, it encompasses various socio-economic dimensions that contribute to the overall quality of life of its population. For Indonesia, the following indicators highlight areas that require significant improvement.
Poverty Rates: with 9.36% of the population living below the national poverty line and 9.5% below the international poverty line, Indonesia faces a considerable challenge in reducing poverty. This equates to 25.1 million and 26.2 million individuals respectively, living without adequate means to support themselves.
Empowerment: a staggering 61% of Indonesians are below the empowerment line, which translates to 166 million people who lack the ability to make choices that lead to desired actions and outcomes, fundamentally limiting their life opportunities.
Education: The rate of Indonesians achieving high-level education is at 6.4%, which indicates that only 17.6 million people have access to advanced educational qualifications. This points to a potential underutilization of human capital that could drive national development.
Employment: The unemployment rate stands at 5.32%, representing 7.9 million individuals who are unable to find work. Job creation and skill development are essential for improving this metric.
Health: Child stunting prevalence is noted at 21.6%, affecting 6.3 million children. This not only has immediate health implications but also long-term impacts on cognitive development and economic productivity.
”It’s a race against time to harness the potential of this youthful workforce, equipping them with skills and opportunities that will drive the nation’s prosperity for decades to come
Those circumstances occur while Indonesia is under tight time constraints as Indonesia’s demographic bonus window is closing, failing to immediately capitalize on this demographic dividend risks the nation facing the daunting burden of an aging population in the future. It’s a race against time to harness the potential of this youthful workforce, equipping them with skills and opportunities that will drive the nation’s prosperity for decades to come. Hence, swift progress is essential, not merely optional.
