Djibouti's international free trade zone hosts 513 firms in 2026
In the first quarter of 2026, Djibouti's international free trade zone (DIFTZ) had 513 companies established, up 22% year on year, with a land occupancy rate of 70%. Chinese companies hold 356,000 m² of long-term leased land there, or 36% of the total.
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According to figures published in March 2026 by China's official Belt and Road Portal, the Djibouti International Free Trade Zone (DIFTZ) had 513 companies from around the world established there in the first quarter of 2026, up 22% on the same period a year earlier.
The occupancy rate for available land reached 70%, up 22 points year on year. Chinese companies hold 356,000 m² of land there on long-term lease, or 36% of the total area, with the presence of construction machinery makers (XCMG, Zoomlion, Sany Heavy Industry), heavy truck manufacturers (China National Heavy Duty Truck Group) and electric vehicle makers (BYD, Geely).
Presented by its promoters as Africa's largest free trade zone, the DIFTZ operates as a logistics and industrial platform anchored to the port of Djibouti, which also serves as a maritime transit point for Ethiopia, landlocked since Eritrea's independence.
Companies and traders considering storing, assembling or re-shipping goods between China and East Africa and the Horn of Africa are affected, as are Ethiopian importers, a large share of whose freight transits through the port of Djibouti for lack of direct sea access.
What it changes for an importer
For a Sorva client targeting the Ethiopian or East African market, the DIFTZ's growth may represent an intermediate storage or transshipment option between China and the final destination, to be assessed case by case with a freight forwarder based on site. Sorva can point the client to this logistics option and organise freight as far as the port of Djibouti, but does not operate its own warehouse in the free zone and does not carry out customs clearance in the final destination country.
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