VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah has said she is optimistic about Indonesia attaining a demographic dividend and becoming a developed country if its people remain disciplined and inculcate a strong work ethic.

"I believe we can attain the demographic dividend, and Indonesia will become a developed country in 2024 if we prepare it well," she said in an official statement received here on Monday.

Indonesia has a large population and is dominated by citizens that are in their productive age, with people in the 14-64 age group accounting for 70 percent of the country’s total population, she noted.

Thus, Indonesia has the potential to achieve a demographic dividend that will peak in 2030, provided several requirements are met. For example, people in the productive age category must be disciplined and have a strong work ethic, she elaborated.

Minister Fauziyah emphasized that the high number of the working-age population in Indonesia is a gift that should be utilized as well as possible to reap the demographic dividend, otherwise, it could possibly become a demographic disaster instead.

Drawing attention to the fact that not all countries successfully achieve and utilize their demographic dividend, the manpower minister said China, Japan, and South Korea have been successful in attaining the demographic dividend.

Therefore, she said, if Indonesia can successfully attain the demographic dividend later, the dream of becoming a developed country in 2045 or by the country’s 100th anniversary year can be reached.

"In the future, Indonesia will become the third biggest developed country in the world with no poor person found in the country, with zero percent of poverty," she remarked. (Antaranews)