Indonesia Country Report

Indonesia is the largest archipelagic state in Southeast Asia comprising of 17,504 islands scattered over both sides of the equator. The five largest islands are Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of Borneo), New Guinea (shared with Papua New Guinea), and Sulawesi. The country shares land borders with Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Malaysia. Other neighbouring countries include Singapore, the Philippines, Australia, and the Indian territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Indonesia covers an area of 1,910,931 square kilometres and is the world’s 16th largest country in terms of land area. The 2010 population census showed that Indonesia’s population reached 237.6 million people, and it is still the world’s fourth most populous country. Its average population density is 124 people per square kilometre. The population has continued to increase, reaching 241 million people in 2011, resulting in a population density of 126 people per square kilometre. Economic growth in Indonesia in 2011 was the fastest since before the Asian financial crisis as rising investment and domestic spending countered a slowdown in export demand due to Europe’s debt crisis. Real GDP grew at almost 6.5 percent in 2011 after a revised 6.2 percent gain the previous year (2010). In 2011, Indonesia’s real GDP was US$ 292 billion (constant 2000 US$) while in 2009 it was just around US$260 billion (constant 2000 US$). From 1990, GDP has grown at an average rate of 4.6 percent per year to 2009. GDP per capita in 2009 was around US$1100 dollars while in 1990 it was only US$600.