The Government and Unicef SDG Baseline Report on Children in Indonesia, provides a snapshot of where the country’s children stand at the start of the period up to 2030, when the goals are due to be met. The data is, where possible disaggregated by sex, age, province, socio-economic status and place of residence, to shed light on particularly vulnerable groups.
It highlights how more than one in seven children live in a household below the national poverty line and 57% grow up in families living on less than twice the national poverty line. Meanwhile, social protection schemes for children reach an estimated 36% of children. It also flags that there is currently no reliable national data on either child labour or violence against children.
This report provides a baseline for priority child-related SDG indicators that have been identified as most relevant for monitoring the situation of children under each goal. Indonesia’s 84 million children represent one third of the country’s total population. How children are faring – in terms of their health and nutrition, their welfare and education, and the environment in which they grow up – is a direct predictor of what Indonesia’s future will look like. Investing in all children and young people is central to achieving sustainable development, and monitoring progress for children is crucial in determining which investments to make. Indeed, the SDGs recognise that children are both agents of change and torch-bearers for sustainable development.