Province

Southwest Papua

Papua – Southwest Papua

Southwest Papua, with its capital in the bustling city of Sorong, officially gained provincial status on November 17, 2022, through Law No. 29/2022. The province shares its borders with various neighboring regions: to the north, it adjoins the countries of the Philippines and Palau, as well as the Pacific Ocean; to the east, it borders West Papua’s regencies of Manokwari and Teluk Bintuni; to the west, it shares boundaries with the provinces of Maluku and North Maluku; and to the south, it is bordered by West Papua’s Fakfak and Kaimana regencies.

Covering a vast area of 38,820 square kilometers and home to over 600,000 individuals, Southwest Papua comprises five districts and a city, including Sorong regency, the city of Sorong itself, South Sorong regency, Maybrat regency, Tambrauw regency, and the Raja Ampat regency, known for its island paradise. Additionally, the province features a diverse range of landscapes from mountains to beaches, as well as a rich variety of cultures and wildlife.

Southwest Papua also boasts a diverse religious landscape. As of 2022, a majority of its population practices Christianity at 54.05 percent, and Catholicism at 7.16 percent. Islam also holds a significant presence in the province at 38.14 percent, while Hinduism and Buddhism each make up a smaller portion of the population with 0.1 percent each.

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Economic Description

In 2023, Southwest Papua's Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) surged to Rp 24 trillion, marking a significant milestone considering its status as a newly established province. Among the key contributing sectors, mining and quarrying emerged as a formidable player, generating Rp 3.1 trillion in GRDP. This sector, encompassing activities such as crude petroleum, natural gas, and geothermal exploration, accounted for a substantial portion of the province's overall economic output, with contributions totaling Rp 1.9 trillion.

Furthermore, the construction industry played a pivotal role in driving economic growth, contributing Rp 3 trillion to Southwest Papua's GRDP. This sector's robust performance reflects ongoing infrastructure development initiatives and investment projects across the province, signaling confidence in its prospects and development trajectory.

Additionally, the agriculture, fisheries, and forestry sectors demonstrated resilience and stability, contributing Rp 2.8 trillion to the province’s GRDP in 2023. Southwest Papua holds promise for a thriving agricultural sector, with corn, peanuts, vegetables, sago, cattle, and chicken farming identified as areas with significant growth potential in the region.

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Latest News

July 2, 2025

Southwest Papua Governor Elisa Kambu stated that transactions during the trade mission from East Java Province to Southwest Papua Province for 19 leading products from the two provinces reached Rp506 billion. He added that activities like the trade mission must continue to be held as part of efforts to accelerate economic growth based on the leading local potential of both regions.

"Because this will provide a space for transactions where many people gather, as that's where transactions could occur," he said in Sorong City on June 21, 2025.

The governor acknowledged that transactions during the trade mission indicated Southwest Papua's economic performance, including purchasing power, entrepreneur involvement, to product performance.

"We only have five products with a total sales value of Rp199 billion. Meanwhile, East Java has 14 products sold with a [combined] value of Rp307 billion," Kambu explained.

He also expressed his appreciation and gratitude to the East Java Provincial Government for choosing Southwest Papua for the trade and investment collaboration to improve the connection between the two provinces.

"I would like to invite all of us once again to take advantage of this opportunity to advance this province's economic growth," Kambu said.

The former Asmat Regent also explained in general about the potential investments spread across the six regencies and cities in Southwest Papua, which he identified to encompass shrimp commodities, tourism, fisheries, livestock, agriculture, and energy.

The Southwest Papua Province has the second-highest shrimp production at 3,101 tons in 2024 based on Statistics Indonesia (BPS) Southwest Papua data. In terms of tourism potential, Southwest Papua has the second highest number of tourist visits in the Papua region for 2024 at 917,412 trips.

Furthermore, ​​rice and sago land and harvest reached 573.44 hectares (ha) with a production of 2,233.7 tons as well as 2,934 ha with a production of 2,464 tons, respectively, in 2023. Sorong Regency contributes the most to rice and sago production in Southwest Papua.

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