Jakarta. Indonesia’s Special Economic Zones (SEZs) booked Rp40.48 trillion ($2.45 billion) in investments during the first half of 2025, according to the National Council for Special Economic Zones. The figure accounts for 48.2 percent of this year’s target of Rp84.1 trillion. The SEZs also absorbed 28,094 workers in the same period, surpassing half of the government’s 2025 target of 49,779 jobs.

Cumulatively, SEZs have attracted Rp294.4 trillion in investments and created 187,376 jobs as of June 2025. This marks an increase of 43.5 percent in investment and 41.7 percent in employment compared to the same period last year.

Susiwijono Moegiarso, Secretary of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs and head of the SEZ National Council’s Implementation Team, described the performance as encouraging.

“By mid-2025, the investment realization and job absorption in SEZs remain on track with government targets and continue to grow,” Susiwijono said during a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He said that most of the investments went into manufacturing and processing industries, particularly in SEZs such as Kendal, Gresik, and Batang, which are also among the largest job creators.

Indonesia currently operates 25 SEZs across the archipelago, spanning from Aceh to Papua. Seven are located in Java, while 18 are outside the island, consisting of 13 industrial SEZs and 12 service-oriented SEZs. The country’s first SEZ, Tanjung Lesung in Banten, was established in 2012.

Despite recent progress, Susiwijono underlined that Indonesia’s SEZ development remains limited in scale compared to regional peers. The country has less than 24,000 hectares of SEZ land, far behind Malaysia’s 2.14 million hectares, Vietnam’s 1.62 million hectares, and Thailand’s 622,000 hectares.

“Even within the existing 24,000 hectares, utilization has yet to reach full capacity,” he said.

Beyond manufacturing, Indonesia is also expanding SEZs into new sectors, including health and education. The Sanur SEZ in Bali has attracted international premium healthcare providers, while the Singhasari SEZ in Malang is being developed as an education hub.