Target missed: Census of 1.3 million Indigenous Papuans remains incomplete

The Population and Civil Registration Office (Disdukcapil) of Highland Papua has stated that the census of approximately 1.3 million Indigenous Papuans (OAP) across eight regencies in the province has not yet been completed.

The Head of Disdukcapil Highland Papua, Amos Wandik, stated in a written report from Wamena on Sunday that the census is being conducted using a ‘by name, by address’ method to verify the exact population of Indigenous Papuans in the region.

“To validate the data of 1.3 million Indigenous Papuan residents in Highland Papua, we are conducting a re-census using the by name, by address method, and not all areas have completed the process,” he said.

According to Amos, the 1.3 million Indigenous Papuans are spread across eight regencies: Jayawijaya, Lanny Jaya, Tolikara, Nduga, Yalimo, Mamberamo Tengah, Yahukimo, and Pegunungan Bintang.

He noted that this census, based on names and addresses, was carried out at the request of the Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

“The Directorate General of Dukcapil requested that we prove the true number of Indigenous Papuan residents in Highland Papua is 1.3 million using the by name, by address method,” he added.

He explained that the request originated from a coordination meeting between regional heads in Tanah Papua and the Directorate General of Dukcapil of the Ministry of Home Affairs in Mimika Regency, Central Papua, in 2025.

During that meeting, the Highland Papua Provincial Government stated that the highest number of Indigenous Papuan residents in Tanah Papua is located within their province.

Following this statement, Amos said the Directorate General of Dukcapil granted the Highland Papua Provincial Government until 2027 to verify the data of approximately 1.3 million Indigenous Papuans based on names and addresses.

However, the Governor of Highland Papua had previously set a target for the census to be completed before 8 August 2026. To date, this target has not been achieved.

“While the target from the Directorate General of Dukcapil of the Ministry of Home Affairs is that the census must be completed by 2027, the Governor provided an estimated completion time before 8 August 2026. However, the census has not yet been completed according to that target,” he said.

Amos added that his office continues to coordinate with the Population and Civil Registration Offices in the eight regencies to accelerate the completion of the Indigenous Papuan census.