Province

Gorontalo

Overview Economy

Gorontalo

Located on the Minahasa Peninsula, Gorontalo is a province that was formerly part of the North Sulawesi province until it was separated on December 5, 2000. Covering 12,025 square kilometers of land area, Gorontalo’s administrative region is divided into five regencies: Boalemo, Bolango, North Gorontalo, and Pohuato. The province is also home to one municipality, Gorontalo, which also serves as the province’s capital city.

Based on data from the Gorontalo Central Statistics Agency (BPS), as of 2022, Gorontalo has a population of 1.1 million people. Based on religious groups, the majority of residents in the province are Muslim, followed by Christians, Hindus, Catholics, Buddhists, and others. Regarding ethnic groups, the majority are Gorontaloan people who spread from North Sulawesi in the east towards Central Sulawesi in the west. Additionally, there are the Sama-Bajau people, sea nomads originating from the Southern Philippines, who reside in villages along the coast of Gorontalo. Other ethnic groups in Gorontalo are mostly people who migrated from other parts of Indonesia, such as the Javanese and Bugis people.

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Gorontalo’s economy

In 2023, the Gorontalo Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded the province’s Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) at Rp 31.6 billion. The largest contributing sector to the GRDP data is the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector, which contributed Rp 11.3 billion. The next two sectors which significantly contribute to Gorontalo’s GRDP are the wholesale and retail trade sector, including the repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, with Rp 4.1 billion, and the construction sector with Rp 3.4 billion.

In terms of exports, Gorontalo’s export value in 2024 amounts to US$55.1 million. The Philippines is listed as the province’s main export destination with an export value of US$19.8 million or approximately 36.01 percent of the total export value. Based on commodities, Gorontalo mostly exports corn with a Free on Board (FOB) value of US$17.8 million. Additionally, the province exports wood and wooden goods with a FOB value of US$14.6 million and US$14.5 million worth of fruits and nuts.

Gorontalo also has a national strategic project (PSN) being developed in the area, namely the Bulango Ulu dam.

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Latest News

July 23, 2025

Statistics Indonesia (BPS) Gorontalo Province's data released on several commodities exported from Gorontalo revealed that most of the province's products are exported through ports or airports outside it, such as the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (SHIA) in Jakarta Special Capital Region and the Port of Tanjung Perak in Surabaya City, East Java Province.

Exports of fish, shrimp, and crab group of commodities, which was valued at US$58,762, were shipped through the SHIA to three destination countries. Japan was the largest market as they receive US$35,419 of that figure, followed by Singapore with US$22,329 and Thailand US$1,014. For the processed fruit and seeds/nuts group of commodities, Gorontalo recorded an export value of nearly US$1.91 million. They were shipped through the Port of Tanjung Perak to nine destinations countries, including Germany, Russia, Italy, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Egypt, Uruguay, Lithuania, and Poland.

Acting BPS Gorontalo Head Dwi Alwi Astuti emphasized that the use of infrastructure outside the province demonstrates the role of logistics connectivity in expanding the reach for exports of Gorontalo's commodities.

"This proves that Gorontalo products are capable of competing in the global market, even if they utilize facilities in Surabaya or Jakarta," she added.

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