lifestyle

Childfree Becomes A Lifestyle Choice, Will Indonesia Experience A Population Crisis Like Japan?

The childfree phenomenon, aka the conscious decision not to have children, is slowly beginning to shift the old notion of "more children means more blessings." 

On social media, many young people are sharing their stories of choosing to be childfree for various reasons, including career, financial, environmental, and even mental health reasons. 

In recent years, the term childfree has become a hot topic, with some even celebrating International Childfree Day on August 1, 2025. 

Childfree isn't just a story on the internet; it's a well-known and practiced practice in everyday life in urban communities, including in Bali. 

"The choice not to have children, once considered taboo, is now starting to be accepted as a legitimate personal decision," according to an official statement from the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) on Tuesday, August 5, 2025. 

However, amidst growing awareness of reproductive rights and individual freedoms, a major question arises: how will this impact the sustainability of Indonesian culture and demographics, particularly in Bali? 

The National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) assesses that the childfree phenomenon has implications for the Total Fertility Rate (TFR), or the average number of children a woman will have during her fertile period. 

This has already occurred in developed countries with high levels of education and massive urbanization, such as Japan and South Korea. 

In Japan, for example, over the past few decades, the country has experienced a significant decline in its birth rate. 

The 2023 birth rate reached a record low in the country's history, with only 1.2 children per woman, far below the level needed to maintain the population. 

This situation is not dissimilar to Singapore. Meanwhile, South Korea set a global record low with a birth rate of only 0.75 children per woman in 2023. 

The Korean government even rolled out various financial incentives for young families to reverse this trend. However, the results have been minimal because the shift in values in urban society is not easily reversed. The Impact of Childfree in Indonesia 

In Indonesia, the 2024 Indonesian Population Report data from the National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN) shows a downward trend in the Total Fertility Rate (TFR). It rose from 2.41 in the 2010 Population Census to 2.18 in the 2020 Long Form Census. 

Meanwhile, according to the 2021 Family Census, Indonesia's TFR was 2.24, and decreased to 2.14 in the 2023 Family Census. In 2014, two years after Indonesia entered the demographic bonus period, the number of marriages in Indonesia reached 2.11 million. However, in 2024, two years after the peak demographic bonus was reached in 2021-2022, the number of marriages actually plummeted 30 percent to 1.48 million. These two trends indicate changes in family preferences and lifestyles of the younger generation. 

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Tag: Bali BKKBN Childfree Phenomenon Population Crisis