Economic Crisis and Demographic Change in Indonesia

Wayan Suriastini, SurveyMETER
Amalia Rifana, SurveyMETER

During the 1997/1998 economic crisis in Indonesia GDP declined by 15% and the rate of inflation increased by 75%. Does this crisis have any impact on demographic change in Indonesia? This paper tries to address this question using the panel data of the Indonesian Family Life Study 1997, 2000 and 2007. Special attention will be given on the impact on infant and child mortality. Preliminary investigation reveals that during the period, mortality of male children age 0-3 among in the household with less than six years of education increased between 1997 to 2000 and then declined by 2007. What factors contribute to this demographic change will be further explored, including mother’s education, income, sanitation and hygiene, pre-natal care, size of the baby at the time of birth, etc.