Number of 'Childfree' Women in Java 2022, Banten Highest

According to the National Socioeconomic Survey (Susenas) conducted by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), 8.2% of women of reproductive age chose to be childfree in 2022.

BPS defines childfree as individuals or couples who choose not to have children, either biologically or through adoption.

This proportion of childfree women is derived from the number of women aged 15-49 who have been married but have not had children and are not using contraception.

By region, Banten is recorded as the province with the highest percentage of childfree women on Java Island, reaching 15.3% in 2022.

This is followed by DKI Jakarta with 14.3%, West Java 11.3%, Yogyakarta 8.4%, East Java 8.4%, and Central Java 5%.

"These childfree women tend to live more in urban areas, possibly because city dwellers are very open to the modernization of thinking," wrote BPS in a report entitled "Tracing the Childfree Footprint in Indonesia".

In addition, BPS also found that women who pursue higher education are more likely to delay or not want to have children, especially those pursuing postgraduate (S2 or S3) degrees.

"The increasing percentage of childfree women who are university graduates in Indonesia indicates a strong association between higher education levels and new paradigms of childbearing," wrote BPS.

Furthermore, BPS mentions that economic factors are also a driving factor for Indonesian women to be childfree.