Province

Gorontalo

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

January 8, 2026

President Prabowo Subianto has entrusted Gorontalo with implementing an integrated livestock downstream industry development program. Gorontalo Governor Gusnar Ismail revealed that Prabowo's interest in Gorontalo is demonstrated by the disbursement of Rp 1.2 trillion in funding for the strategic program, which will be distributed and managed by four regency governments in Gorontalo.

Gusnar added that the four regencies with livestock downstream industry development potential, based on a survey by the Agriculture Ministry Livestock and Animal Health Directorate General, encompass Gorontalo Regency, North Gorontalo, Bone Bolango, and Boalemo.

Gusnar, who is a former member of the National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas)'s strategic assessment team, also emphasized that collaboration between regency and provincial governments, accompanied by comprehensive policy elaboration, is key to public welfare. He expressed his appreciation for the support of the four relevant regents for the livestock downstream industry investment program in Gorontalo.

"The tangible manifestation of agro-maritime strength is the main attraction for the central government to disburse Rp1.2 trillion in funds for Gorontalo Province," explained Gusnar.

He elaborated that Gorontalo, as the largest corn producer in Indonesia, has emerged as an investment destination for the construction of animal feed factories, egg-laying chicken farms, broiler chicken farms, and poultry slaughterhouses.

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