REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia's population boom is becoming increasingly alarming because it is not balanced by adequate human resources, according to the National Family Planning and Population Board (BKKBN).

"A shockingly large population that isn't offset by adequate high-quality human resources could create another, more serious, problem," BKKBN Chief Fasli Jalal said here on Thursday.

He noted that the total population was projected to reach 240 million with a growth rate of 1.49 percent per year, or an increase of four to five million.

"This means 10 thousand babies are born every day," Jalal stated, adding that the quality of Indonesian human resources was still low, as indicated by the Indonesian Human Development Index, which ranks 124 of 182 countries.

He explained that Indonesia is currently the world's fourth most populous country after China, India, and the United States, but the number is expected to jump to 321 million by 2025.

Besides this, Jalal added, the uneven distribution of the population is also concerning, with 58 percent of the population living on Java Island even though it only accounts for seven percent of the total area of the country.

According to him, unclear population data and information also pose a problem at every general election, particularly for regional elections.

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