Ideal Number of Children for Indonesians

According to a survey by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the majority of Indonesian society considers an ideal family to have two children.

This view is expressed by 43% of male respondents and 50% of female respondents.

Furthermore, 20% of Indonesian men and 18% of Indonesian women consider three children to be the ideal number.

Some also desire four or more children (14% of men and 6% of women), while others prefer only one child (5% of men and 7% of women).

A smaller proportion chose to have no children (1% of men and 1% of women).

According to UNFPA, the desire to have children can change over time. This can occur in response to life circumstances, such as age, health, economic stability, and changes in marital status.

"For example, improved economic conditions can lead couples to increase their plans to have children, while health challenges or changes in marital status can reduce the desired family size," said UNFPA in the State of World Population 2025.

This is evident in the attitude of 21% of global respondents who are open to having more children if economic conditions improve.

UNFPA conducted this survey in collaboration with YouGov, involving approximately 14,000 adult respondents from 14 countries between November 15 and December 5, 2024.

Besides Indonesia, respondents came from South Korea, Thailand, Italy, Hungary, Germany, Sweden, Brazil, Mexico, the United States, India, Morocco, South Africa, and Nigeria.