Türkiye’s Free Zones Break Export Record in May 2025 with $1.18 Billion in Sales
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Türkiye’s free zones, a vital component of the country’s trade and industrial policy under the Ministry of Trade, achieved a historic export milestone in May 2025, reaching their highest-ever May export value.
According to an official announcement by the Ministry, free zone exports rose by 11.2% year-over-year, increasing from $1.06 billion in May 2024 to $1.18 billion in May 2025. This marks the highest export figure ever recorded for May in the history of Türkiye’s free zones.
Trade Surplus Soars, Ege Free Zone Leads the Way
The Ministry emphasized the strong impact of free zones on the country’s foreign trade balance, with the export-to-import coverage ratio climbing to an impressive 163%, up 33 percentage points from the previous year. Consequently, the foreign trade surplus expanded from $244 million to $456 million.
The Ege Free Zone stood out as the top performer, with $288 million in exports—$36 million (or 14.4%) higher than May last year. The zone retained its position as Türkiye’s leading free zone exporter.
Record-Breaking Performance in the First Five Months
From January to May 2025, free zones generated $5.25 billion in exports—an increase of 3.9% compared to the same period in 2024. This also represents the highest-ever export figure for the first five months of any year. With this result, Türkiye’s free zones now rank just behind the top five exporting provinces: Istanbul, Kocaeli, Bursa, Ankara, and Izmir.
Described as engines of economic dynamism and production power, free zones continue to boost their export momentum in the first half of 2025.
A Growing Ecosystem: High-Tech, High-Value Production
Established in 1985, Türkiye’s free zones now span 26,000 hectares across 19 designated areas. A total of 2,018 companies, including 515 with foreign capital, operate in these zones—collectively employing around 100,000 people.
Currently, approximately 5% of Türkiye’s total exports come from free zones. More importantly, these areas play a pioneering role in high-tech exports. Between January and May 2025, 57% of exports from free zones consisted of medium-high and high-tech products, underscoring their strategic importance.
Looking Ahead: Tech-Driven Free Zones in the Pipeline
The Ministry of Trade stated that plans are underway to launch new free zones focused on technology-intensive and high value-added production. The objective is to transform these zones into strategic export hubs aligned with Türkiye’s long-term industrial goals.
“Our efforts to expand and upgrade free zones as centers of innovation and competitiveness will continue with determination,” the statement concluded.