After having mobilized more than COP 54.8 trillion in investment and generated over 169 thousand formal jobs, the free trade zone regimes in Colombia have positioned themselves as a locomotive for attracting new capital and promoting economic and social development throughout the country in 2026.
A strategic engine for growth and internationalization
Consolidating themselves as one of the most robust engines for economic growth, attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI), and internationalization of Colombia, free trade zones are multiplying their capabilities and results. In just two years, the sector has attracted COP 54.8 trillion in investments and supported more than 169 thousand formal jobs while promoting an active business ecosystem that is continuously expanding the country’s productive offer in sophisticated manufacturing, global services, agribusiness, life sciences, and enabling technologies.
Beyond investment figures, the regime is contributing to a structural change in the Colombian productive matrix. Businesses operating under this special scheme are increasingly moving up the value chain by incorporating automation and digitalization processes into their operations, as well as boosting value-added tasks that improve competitiveness and resilience. For this reason, free trade zones in Colombia are not only understood as hubs for production but also as business venues that contribute to research and development, training of talent, and export diversification.
Exports and productive positioning
In 2024, free trade zones exported USD 3.12 billion FOB, demonstrating once again their role as pivotal platforms for the production of goods and services destined for markets around the world. From processed foods to chemicals, metal-mechanics, pharmaceuticals, software, or shared services, exports carried out by companies operating in free trade zones reach dozens of countries each year.
Through October 2025, year-to-date exports stand at USD 2.28 billion FOB. Although affected by global volatility, changes in demand, and tighter financial conditions in some countries of destination, other metrics such as import volume, continued investment deployments, and productive transformation trends reveal that businesses are pivoting to modernize their facilities, re-design their supply chains, and adjust output toward new nearshoring and regionalization opportunities. In that way, free trade zones are not only cushioning the impact of external shocks in Colombia but also laying the foundations for lasting industrial development.
Reasons to set up in Free Trade Zones from the global investor’s perspective
“Free trade zones have become strategic levers for positioning Colombian industry in the global market: they provide regulatory certainty, offer competitive benefits, and establish clear guidelines to connect with local suppliers. From the perspective of an international investor, they are safe places to set up operations in Colombia, export products from the country, and create productive and commercial linkages that generate value for our regions,” affirms Carmen Caballero, President of ProColombia.
Additional benefits include reduced corporate income tax, customs incentives that allow companies to streamline costs and administrative times, and regulatory stability that facilitates long-term investment planning. Likewise, access to talented human capital —which is increasingly specialized— is backed by universities, technical institutions, and training projects tailored to investors’ needs.
Location, location, location
Colombia has 119 operational free trade zones located in 20 departments nationwide, with privileged access to port terminals on both the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean coastlines, and nearness to main cities and consumption centers. That geographic reach allows companies to optimize their logistics operations, save time on shipments, and connect efficiently with markets in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia.
Zones are located along strategic logistics corridors across Colombia and benefit from ongoing infrastructure projects related to ports, roads, airports, and digitization nationwide. All of the above make installation times faster and position free trade zones in Colombia as ideal destinations for operations sensitive to time and/or high value-added. Nearshoring, Reindustrialization, and Key Sectors
As the international economy experiences significant shifts in production localization and supply chain redesign, Colombia stands out as a safe haven to relocate operations that demand legal certainty, proximity to the United States market, and diversification of destinations. Colombia’s strategy for reindustrialization and promotion of investment clearly positions free trade zones as hubs for nearshoring projects.
Sectors of interest include data centers, multilingual BPO and shared services, health and medical devices, renewable energy equipment, and agribusiness, with greater levels of transformation among others. All of the previously mentioned not only create employment but also allow for knowledge, technology, and best practices spillovers to the local economy.
How Free Trade Zones Are Contributing to the Popular Economy and Regionalization
Another important feature that has distinguished the regime in recent years is its integration with the popular economy to widen the domestic productive base and strengthen its linkages with surrounding municipalities. Last April, the Minister of Trade, Industry, and Tourism, Diana Marcela Morales, launched the sector’s policy, which includes provisions that ease the participation of microenterprises and small productive units as providers of goods and services to operators installed in free trade zones.
By integrating these small players with global value chains, the measure seeks to promote formalization, productivity, and income generation at the local level. In that way, FDI attracted to Colombia through free trade zones has positive repercussions not only at the national level by increasing competitiveness, but also for the social and economic development of municipalities and departments.
A speeding tool
To speed up the arrival of capital, ProColombia – together with the ANDI Free Trade Zone Users’ Chamber– launched The Directory of Free Trade Zones of Colombia, a tool available in English and Spanish that consolidates strategic information to help locate projects in free trade zones nationwide.
The directory lists value propositions, sector specialization, infrastructure, connectivity, and key contacts of each of the country’s permanent free trade zones. By streamlining evaluation, comparison, and selection processes for global investors, the directory reduces information asymmetries and shortens lead times—a decisive factor in today’s accelerated nearshoring decisions.
Towards 2026
“Looking toward 2026, we expect to see the consolidation of a more sophisticated export platform that is able to capture projects that are intensive in both employment and technology, positioning Colombia as a key node for international trade, innovation, and productive integration in Latin America,” Caballero concludes.
As multinational companies rethink their investment destinations and strategies, the scale, maturity, and flexibility of free trade zones in Colombia will allow the country to seize new investment opportunities, upgrade its productive capabilities, and continue inclusive growth.