Indonesia Faces Rising Elderly Population

Why this is here: Nearly 96% of older adults in Indonesia reportedly do not engage in regular physical activity, highlighting a key area where nurse-led initiatives could improve wellbeing.

Imran Pambudi of Indonesia’s Health Ministry spoke in Jakarta on Friday about the growing need for empowered nurses. Roughly 34 million older adults currently live in Indonesia, a figure that represents 12% of the population in 2024. This proportion is expected to reach 20% by 2045, creating urgent challenges for healthcare.

Globally, the number of nurses increased from 27.9 million in 2018 to 29.8 million in 2023, but a deficit of about 5.8 million persists. Within Indonesia, 1.3 million of the projected 1.9 million health workers in 2025 will be nurses. However, most are concentrated in Java, leaving eastern regions understaffed.

Nurses perform essential services for the elderly, including screenings, nutritional assessments, and coordinating care across various settings. The Ministry hopes to expand coverage, standardize long-term care, and improve financing to support this growing need, but data collection for monitoring and evaluation remains ongoing work.