Papua's Population Projected to Reach 5.78 Million by 2045

Security conditions in Manokwari, West Papua, have begun to return to normal following the protests on Monday, August 19, 2019, against the racist treatment of Papuan students in Surabaya, East Java. Economic activity is resuming, and roads are becoming accessible to the public again.

For information, the population of Papua Island was estimated at 4.3 million in 2019. This comprises 963,600 inhabitants of West Papua and 3.34 million inhabitants of Papua Province. The population of Papua Island is projected to increase to 5.78 million by 2045, with Papua Province reaching 4.27 million and West Papua reaching 1.6 million, as shown in the graph.

Currently, Papua is experiencing a demographic bonus, with a larger working-age population than a non-working-age population. This presents an opportune time to accelerate development with the support of human resources. The dependency ratio in these two easternmost Indonesian provinces was 43.7% for Papua and 46% for West Papua in 2020. This dependency ratio in both provinces is projected to remain below 50% until 2040.

(Read Databoks: The Number of Poor People in Papua Increased by 2.22% in 2018)