Jayapura – The size of the indigenous population in the land of Papua is steadily declining. There are many reasons for this drop in the population. Aside from the marginalisation of indigenous communities, another factor is the high mortality rate resulting from climate and environmental changes caused by land clearing by companies.

Farid Gaban, one of the authors of the book "ResetIndonesia", noted that the decline in the indigenous Papuan population stands in stark contrast to the region's immense natural wealth. Current data indicates they make up no more than 38 percent of the population.

"The latest figures confirm this. It clearly demonstrates the marginalisation of the Papuan people. I believe it is caused by poverty, because Papua is one of the poorest regions, and its people are highly vulnerable to environmental changes. When forests are cleared, they are increasingly displaced, and their food sources vanish. The opening of economic projects in Papua inevitably lead to the arrival of people from outside Papua, Javanese people. One of the triggers is the creation of new administrative regions. In recent years, the central government has increased the number of provinces in Papua, splitting the region into smaller units, from three provinces to six", Gaban said.

Gaban noted that the indigenous Papuan population has now become a minority.

"From official government data, the number of indigenous Papuans in Papua is now at most 38 percent of the population. Meaning, the decline has been quite significant year-on-year. Meaning, that they are actually already in the position of a minority, because actually they are outnumbered by migrants", said Gaban.

The senior journalist known for his high-quality writing in Tempo Magazine, said that marginalisation or sidelining of Papuans is largely driven by poverty.

"This marginalisation is felt by Papuans. They are highly vulnerable to environmental changes. As forests continue to be cleared, they are further displaced, their food sources disappear. Economic development in Papua creates opportunities for people from outside Papua to come in. One of the triggers is the creation of new administrative regions. The central government has increased the number of provinces to six", he said.

[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Penduduk Papua Kian Menurun, Penyebab Menurut Farid Gaban".]

Source: https://suarapapua.com/2026/08/05/penduduk-papua-kian-menurun-penyebab-menurut-farid-gaban/