As part of the poll, researchers surveyed 1,289 Indonesians of all ages to discover how many wanted to leave the country, where and when they would go and for what reason. 

“It’ll be interesting to see if these thoughts turn into actions in the coming years”

As many as three in five (63%) Indonesians have considered leaving the country, the survey found.

Young Indonesians (71%) were more likely to consider moving than people over the age of 55 (30%), and women were more likely to think about living abroad than men (69% vs. 58%).

Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous country according to UNESCO, and 50% of the population are under the age of 30. 

Chief operating officer of AECC Global Daryl Fong told The PIE News about Indonesia that there are several reasons why many young people are considering leaving the country. 

“As the largest economy in SE Asia and a country with such a huge young population, [the Indonesian] government’s smart nation planning has to gear up to meet the demands of good quality international education,” he said.

He noted that the country’s middle class has been growing annually at a rate of 10% and now numbers 38 million. 

Other findings of the YouGov report include Europe being the most popular region for emigrating Indonesians (42%).

This is followed by Asia (41%), America (11%), Oceania (3%) and Africa (1%).

Although Europe is the most popular region, the country that Indonesians most want to move to is Japan (14%). This is followed by Germany (9%), Singapore (7%), the United Kingdom (7%) and the United States (6%).

Of all the reasons to move abroad, the most common is for a better quality of life (63%). Other reasons include better public services (56%), personal reasons (46%), better job opportunities (46%) and greater wealth/affluence (36%).

“As the world becomes increasingly globalised, many Indonesians are now seeking opportunities abroad. Migration seems particularly on the minds of young women, for a multitude of reasons,” said Jake Gammon, head of omnibus APAC at YouGov Omnibus.

“It’ll be interesting to see if these thoughts turn into actions in the coming years.”

According to UNESCO data, Indonesia has 45,206 students studying abroad.