Jakarta – The population of Indonesia, the world's fourth largest nation, is projected to rise to 215.2 million next year from an estimated 212 million this year, head of the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) Sudarti Surbakti said on Monday.

Sudarti said that based on the final results of a census held in June 2000, the country's population was estimated at 206.3 million. The census in 2000 constituted the fifth census ever conducted after four earlier censuses in 1961, 1971, 1980 and 1990.

"The population of 206.3 million also includes the homeless and others living in stilt houses in remote areas and ship crew members," she said as was quoted by Antara.

Sudarti explained that based on the 2000 census results, the Indonesian population is estimated to have increased to 208.9 million in 2001, 212 million in 2002 and 215.2 million next year.

About 42 percent of Indonesians live in urban areas, she said, adding that the average population growth rate for the 1990-2000 period dropped to 1.49 percent from 1.79 percent in the previous decade. Some 59 percent of the total population in Indonesia lives in Java, an island that accounts for just about 7 percent of the country's total land coverage, she said.

Sudarti said the June 2000 census showed there were some one million more men than women in Indonesia and that some 30 percent of the population was under 14 years of age. Senior citizens over 65 years old accounted for a mere 4.5 percent.