Indonesia Enters "Aging Population" Phase as Elderly Reach 11.97 Percent

JAKARTA – Indonesia’s demographic structure has shown significant changes over the past decade. On one hand, the population continues to grow and is still dominated by the working-age group. On the other hand, the proportion of elderly people is steadily increasing, signalling Indonesia’s entry into the aging population phase. The 2025 Inter-Census Population Survey (SUPAS) released by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) records Indonesia’s population at 284.67 million people. BPS Chief Amalia Adininggar Widyasanti stated that this slowdown reflects demographic changes that need to be considered in future development planning. “The slowing population growth rate indicates demographic shifts that must be anticipated in future development planning,” Amalia said during a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday (5/5/2026). Although the growth rate is slowing, Indonesia’s age structure is currently still dominated by the productive age group. Based on SUPAS 2025, around 68.94 percent of the population is in the 15 to 64-year age range. This dominance of the productive age group places Indonesia still in the demographic bonus phase. This is also reflected in the dependency ratio, which remains below 50 at 45.05 in 2025. This means that every 100 working-age individuals support about 45 non-working-age individuals. However, the dependency ratio trend is starting to show an increase compared to previous periods. In the 2020 Long Form Population Census, this ratio was still at 44.33. Indonesia’s entry into the aging population phase is marked by the increasing proportion of the population aged 60 and above, which has exceeded the 10 percent threshold. SUPAS 2025 records the percentage of elderly at 11.97 percent, a significant rise from 9.93 percent in 2020, 8.47 percent in 2015, and 7.59 percent in 2010. This data illustrates a consistent population ageing trend over the past 15 years. In detail, elderly women have a higher proportion at 12.61 percent, compared to 11.34 percent for elderly men.