inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. Minister of National Development Planning, Rachmat Pambudy, stated that Indonesia's population growth rate is above the global average.

"The world population is now over 8 billion, and Indonesia's population is over 280 million. If we follow the global population growth trend, we should only have 240 million. This means our population growth rate is above the global average, and thus we must be careful," said Rachmat on Tuesday (4/21/2026).

Under these conditions, Indonesia will experience a demographic bonus if its younger population can be managed well. Conversely, an aging population will experience a decline in productivity.

Therefore, he reminded all levels of government to address the issue of increasingly limited environmental carrying capacity as the population increases.

"If we look deeper, some disasters are not just natural disasters, but also human-caused disasters due to the pressure of our population. As the population grows, it requires more water, more food, and more energy, ultimately exceeding the world's capability in providing. However, if only we managed the resource more fairly, it would be enough for all of us," explained Rachmat.

"When a disaster occurs, the first priority is the population. The most important people are babies, children, pregnant women, and young girls, because young girls will have different treatment than young boys," he continued.

In this context, cooperation between Indonesia and UNFPA is considered crucial to addressing these significant challenges.

"Indonesia aspires to realize the vision of a Golden Indonesia, and this effort needs to be supported by strengthening the role of women in development and utilizing population data," said the Minister of National Development Planning.

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