Luwu Regency

Luwu Regency (Kabupaten Luwu in Indonesian) is a regency in South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. On 20 April 1999, the northern districts of the original regency were separated to form North Luwu Regency. Subsequently, on 25 February 2003, some districts of North Luwu Regency were further split off to establish East Luwu Regency. Additionally, the former capital of Luwu Regency, Palopo, was designated as an independent municipality (city) on 10 April 2002, splitting the residual area of the regency into two geographically separate sections. The current Luwu Regency covers a land area of 3,000.25 km2. It had a population of 287,472 at the 2010 Census and 365,608 at the 2020 Census. The official population estimate as of mid 2025 was 391,114 (comprising 197,342 males and 193,772 females). The administrative capital is now located in Belopa. The first regent of the reduced Luwu Regency was H. M. Basmin Mattayang, who served from 2004 to 2009. He was succeeded by Ir. H. Andi Mudzakkar, who became regent following Luwu's first direct election and served from 2009 to 2014. Mudzakkar was re-elected for a second five-year term in 2014. In 2019, Drs. H. M. Basmin Mattayang, M.Pd., returned as regent for a second term. On 21 February 2024, Muhammad Saleh assumed the position of regent. Luwu is known for its natural resources, which include rice, cocoa, coconut, bananas, sago (sagu), rambutan, and langsat.