Free zones hit record high export of $1.18 bln

ANKARA

Türkiye’s free zones achieved a historic export record in May 2025, with exports rising 11.2 percent to $1.18 billion from $1.06 billion in May 2024, the Trade Ministry has announced.

The ministry reported that the export-to-import ratio in free zones reached 163 percent, up 33 points from last year, while the trade surplus grew from $244 million to $456 million.

The Aegean Free Zone led with $288 million in exports, a 14.4 percent increase from $252 million in May 2024.

From January to May 2025, free zone exports totaled $5.25 billion, up 3.9 percent from the same period in 2024, marking the highest five-month export value ever. This placed free zones behind only Istanbul, Kocaeli, Bursa, Ankara and İzmir in Türkiye’s export rankings.

Türkiye’s 19 free zones, established since 1985 across 26,000 acres, host 2,018 firms, including 515 foreign-funded companies, and employ about 100,000 people. Free zones account for roughly 5 percent of Türkiye’s total exports, with 57 percent of their January-May 2025 exports comprising medium-advanced and high-tech products.

“We are committed to transforming free zones into strategic export hubs focused on technology-driven, high-value production, with plans to establish new zones in the coming period,” the Trade Ministry stated.