1989 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1989 (Internet Archive)
People and Society
Birth rate
34 births/ 1,000 population (1990)
Death rate
11 deaths/ 1,000 population (1990)
Ethnic divisions
predominantly Melanesian and Papuan; some Negrito, Micronesian, and Polynesian
Infant mortality rate
68 deaths/ 1,000 live births (1990)
Labor force
1,660,000; 732,806 in salaried employment; 54% agriculture, 25% government, 9% industry and commerce, 8% services (1980)
Language
7 1 5 indigenous languages; English spoken by 1-2%, pidgin English widespread, Motu spoken in Papua region
Life expectancy at birth
54 years male, 56 years female (1990) Papua New Guinea (continued)
Literacy
32%
Nationality
noun — Papua New Guinean(s); adjective — Papua New Guinean
Net migration rate
0 migrants/ 1 ,000 population (1990)
Organized labor
more than 50 trade unions, some with fewer than' 20 members
Population
3,822,875 (July 1990), growth rate 2.3% (1990)
Religion
over half of population nominally Christian (490,000 Roman Catholic, 320,000 Lutheran, other Protestant sects); remainder indigenous beliefs
Total fertility rate
5.0 children born/ woman (1990)
Government
Long-form name
Independent State of
Economy
Agriculture
subsistence food production; small-holder and plantation production for export; rice, cassava, peanuts, rubber, cocoa, coffee, copra, other tropical products
Aid
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $4.2 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $19.8 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $213 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $175 million
Budget
revenues $20.9 billion; expenditures $20.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $7.5 billion (FY89)
Currency
Indonesian rupiah (plural — ru piahs); 1 Indonesian rupiah (Rp) = 100 sen (sen no longer used)
Electricity
11,600,000 kW capacity; 38,000 million kWh produced, 200 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
Indonesian rupiahs (Rp) per US$1— 1,804.9 (January 1990), 1,770.1 (1989), 1,685.7(1988), 1,643.8 (1987), 1,282.6(1986), 1,110.6(1985) Fiscal yean 1 April31 March
Exports
$21.0 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities — petroleum and liquefied natural gas 40%, timber 1 5%, textiles 7%, rubber 5%, coffee 3%; partners — Japan 42%, US 16%, Singapore 9%, EC 1 1% (1988)
External debt
$55.0 billion, medium and long-term (1989 est.)
GNP
$80 billion, per capita $430; real growth rate 5.7% (1989 est.)
Illicit drugs
illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade, but not a major player; government actively eradicating plantings and prosecuting traffickers
Imports
$13.2 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities — machinery 39%, chemical products 19%, manufactured goods 16%; partners— Japan 26%, EC 19%, US 13%, Singapore 7% (1988)
Industrial production
growth rate 4.8% (1988 est.)
Industries
petroleum, textiles, mining, cement, chemical fertilizer production, timber, food, rubber
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
5.5% (1989)
Overview
Indonesia is a mixed economy with many socialist institutions and central planning but with a recent emphasis on deregulation and private enterprise. Indonesia has extensive natural wealth but, with a large and rapidly increasing population, it remains a poor country. GNP growth in 1985-89 averaged about 4%, somewhat short of the 5% rate needed to absorb the 2.3 million workers annually entering the labor force. Agriculture, including forestry and fishing, is the most important sector, accounting for 21% of GDP and over 50% of the labor force. The staple crop is rice. Once the world's largest rice importer, Indonesia is now nearly self-sufficient. Plantation crops — rubber and palm oil — are being encouraged for both export and job generation. The diverse natural resources include crude oil, natural gas, timber, metals, and coal. Of these, the oil sector dominates the external economy, generating more than 20% of the government's revenues and 40% of export earnings in 1989. Japan is Indonesia's most important customer and supplier of aid.
Unemployment rate
3.1% (1989 est.)
Communications
Airports
468 total, 435 usable; 106 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 12 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 62 with runways 1,2202,439 m
Branches
Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police Military manpower males 15-49, 49,283,496; 29,137,291 fit for military service; 2,098,169 reach military age (18) annually
Civil air
about 216 commercial transport aircraft
Defense expenditures
2.1% of GNP (1987)
Highways
119,500 km total; 11,812 km state, 34,180 km provincial, and 73,508 km district roads
Inland waterways
21,579 km total; Sumatra 5,471 km, Java and Madura 820 km, Kalimantan 10,460 km, Celebes 241 km, Irian Jaya 4,587 km
Merchant marine
313 ships (1,000 CRT or over) totaling 1,480,912 CRT/ 2,245,233 DWT; includes 5 short-sea passenger, 13 passenger-cargo, 173 cargo, 6 container, 3 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 vehicle carrier, 77 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 6 specialized tanker, 1 livestock carrier, 24 bulk
Pipelines
crude oil, 2,505 km; refined products, 456 km; natural gas, 1,703 km (1989)
Ports
Cilacap, Cirebon, Jakarta, Kupang, Palembang, Ujungpandang, Semarang, Surabaya
Railroads
6,964 km total; 6,389 km 1.067-meter gauge, 497 km 0.750-meter gauge, 78 km 0.600-meter gauge; 21 1 km double track; 101 km electrified; all government owned
Telecommunications
interisland microwave system and HF police net; domestic service fair, international service good; radiobroadcast coverage good; 763,000 telephones (1986); stations — 618 AM, 38 FM, 9 TV; satellite earth stations— 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station and 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station; and 1 domestic satellite communications system Defense Forces