National Provinces with the Lowest Birth Certificate Ownership Rates: Their Distribution

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reports that the percentage of Indonesian children with birth certificates was 88.42% in 2021. This percentage increased by 0.31 points from 2021, which was 88.11%.

Based on province, Papua has the lowest percentage of children with birth certificates, at only 45.19%. This means that more than 50% of children in Papua do not have legal proof of their birth.

After Papua, the lowest percentage of birth certificate ownership is also found in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) at 65.66%. This is followed by West Papua, Maluku, and North Sumatra at 74.74%, 81.63%, and 83.02%, respectively.

A birth certificate is an official document proving birth issued by the civil registry office. Children without birth certificates risk difficulties accessing education, being exploited as child laborers, difficulties accessing social security, and identity manipulation.

The Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (KemenPPPA) explains several factors why children do not have birth certificates, including the difficulty of accessing birth certificate services for all members of society, limited access to the internet, and the location of birth certificate services being far from communities.

(Read More: 97 Million Children in the Asia-Pacific Region Did Not Have Birth Certificates in 2020)