Province

West Sulawesi

Overview Economy

West Sulawesi

Located in the western part of Sulawesi island, West Sulawesi is a province in Indonesia that covers an area of 16,594.75 square kilometers as of 2022. It is bordered by Central Sulawesi to the east, South Sulawesi to the south, and the Makassar Strait to the west. West Sulawesi’s administrative region consists of six regencies: Majene, Polewali Mandar, Mamasa, Mamuju, Pasangkayu, and Central Mamuju. The capital city of the province is Mamuju, serving as the economic and administrative center of West Sulawesi.

Demographically, West Sulawesi has a population primarily consisting of indigenous ethnic groups such as the Mandar, Toraja Mamasa, Pattae, and Kalumpang people. Although the Mandar people are considered the largest ethnic group in the province, the population of West Sulawesi also consists of other ethnic groups who relocated from various parts of Indonesia, such as the Bugis, Javanese, Balinese, Sasak, and East Nusa Tenggara people. As for religion, the majority of the population in the province are Muslims, followed by Christians, Catholics, Hindus, Buddhists, Konghucu, and adherents of indigenous beliefs.

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West Sulawesi’s economy

Based on data from the West Sulawesi Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the province recorded a Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) of Rp 35.4 billion in 2023. The province’s economy is known to be driven by the mining, agriculture, and fishing sectors. Consistent with this, the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sectors dominate contributions to the GRDP, totaling Rp 13.9 billion. This is mainly attributed to agriculture, livestock, hunting, and agriculture services, which collectively amount to Rp 10.2 billion.

The manufacturing sector made the second-largest contribution to West Sulawesi’s GRDP in 2023, achieving Rp 4.1 billion, mainly from the manufacture of food products and beverages, which accounted for Rp 3.7 billion.

The third most contributing sector to the province’s GRDP in 2023 is wholesale and retail trade, including the repair of motors, with Rp 3.4 billion. Out of this figure, the majority came from wholesale and retail trade, totaling Rp 2.8 billion.

Additionally, a national strategic project (PSN) is also being developed in the province, namely the Budong-Budong dam.

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Latest News

January 13, 2025

The export value of West Sulawesi Province in November 2024 rose by 26.51 percent month-to-month (mtm) and 46.51 percent year-on-year (yoy) to US$ 49.95 million according to the Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data. BPS West Sulawesi Province Head Tina Wahyufitri said that West Sulawesi's exports were influenced by the increase in the export of animal and vegetable fats and oils, which contributed 92.13 percent of the province's export value.

Various chemical products, cocoa and chocolate, as well as vegetable materials for weaving are also exported by West Sulawesi. The products are sent to countries such as China, South Korea, India, and Pakistan. China is the province's main export destination, accounting for US$46.18 million or 92.45 percent of its total export value.

"The main exported commodities cumulatively during the January-November 2024 period are animal and vegetable fats and oils," explained Tina Wahyufitri on Jan. 2, 2025.

Meanwhile, imports to West Sulawesi fell by 1.52 percent from around US$790,000 in October 2024 to US$780,000 in November 2024.

"Cumulatively, the import value of West Sulawesi Province fell by 70.34 percent [yoy] from US$ 12.85 million in the January-November 2023 period to US$3.81 million in the January-November 2024 period," said Tina.

She added that imports to West Sulawesi include, among others, oil products from China.

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