"If I say (we need) an average of one woman giving birth to one daughter, that is a hope, not an obligation," he stressed after inaugurating the Population Clock in Surabaya, East Java, on Wednesday, according to an official statement released the same day.
According to him, the average birth rate in East Java, where every woman gives birth to 1.9 children, is ideal. In order for the population to continue to grow in balance, this figure must be maintained and kept from declining further.
"If there are 100 women in an area, in 10 years, if possible, the number should still be 100, so that the population does not become extinct," Wardoyo expounded.
Regarding the prevalence of stunting, which the nation is targeting to reduce to 14 percent this year, he asked regions to be critical of the results of the Indonesian Health Survey (SKI) and compare them with the results of the Electronic Community-Based Nutrition Recording and Reporting (EPPGBM).
He noted that in East Java, the coverage of the body weighing and measurement program, which is one of the government's measures to tackle stunting in the country, has reached 97 percent as of June 2024.
The BKKBN head stated that the Population Clock launched in East Java can collect data and input population data more accurately.
"The Population Clock data updates every second (real-time). It is an outstanding step from East Java and this Population Clock is, indeed, highly needed," he added.
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Translator: Lintang Budiyanti, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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