Türkiye's January Exports Reached USD 20.3 Billion
President of the Türkiye Exporters Assembly (TİM), Mustafa Gültepe: When examined on a sectoral basis, automotive once again ranked first with USD 3.1 billion. Automotive was followed by chemicals with USD 2.3 billion and electrical-electronics with USD 1 billion 342 million.
Despite geopolitical tensions, protectionist measures, and competitiveness challenges in labor-intensive sectors, exports, which increased by 4.5 percent in 2025, began 2026 in negative territory. Türkiye's exports declined by 3.9 percent in January, remaining at USD 20.3 billion. Exports over the last 12 months reached USD 272.5 billion.
January export figures were announced in Ankara by Minister of Trade Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat and President of the Türkiye Exporters Assembly (TİM) Mustafa Gültepe.
President of the Türkiye Exporters Assembly (TİM) Mustafa Gültepe stated in his address that they were unable to make the desired start to 2026. Emphasizing that it was concerning for January exports to come in weak despite the parity contribution of USD 1.1 billion, Gültepe continued as follows:
“According to General Trade System (GTS) records, we were able to realize exports of USD 20.3 billion in January. Compared to the same month of last year, we are down by 3.9 percent. Our exports over the last 12 months reached USD 272.5 billion. We estimate that our services exports in January will amount to around USD 7.8 billion. When examined on a sectoral basis, automotive once again ranked first with USD 3.1 billion. Automotive was followed by chemicals with USD 2.3 billion, electrical-electronics with USD 1 billion 342 million, ready-to-wear with USD 1 billion 341 million, and steel with USD 1 billion 85 million. While 10 of our sectors increased their exports in total, 16 sectors completed January in negative territory. According to TİM data, 35 of our provinces increased their exports. Our top five exporting provinces were listed as Istanbul, Kocaeli, Bursa, Ankara, and Izmir. In January, 964 of our companies exported for the first time. Our unit export value was USD 1.54. Parity contributed USD 1.1 billion to our exports last month. The countries to which we exported the most were listed as Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Iraq. While our exports increased to a total of 112 countries and regions, they declined in 107.”
“EU's Mercosur and India FTAs Will Negatively Reflect on Our Exports”
Mustafa Gültepe recalled that they began 2026 with a target of USD 410 billion, comprising USD 282 billion in merchandise exports and USD 128 billion in services exports. Stating that in order to reach this target, merchandise exports must be increased by USD 9 billion and services exports by USD 6 billion, Gültepe said:
“Yet, for our medium- and long-term objectives, we need to achieve much more. However, we have been able to complete the past three years with very limited increases. Moreover, the burden on exporters is steadily growing, as costs continue to rise across the board—from labor and energy to raw materials and operating expenses. The global landscape is also far from favorable. Geopolitical risks are intensifying, protectionist walls are being erected, and market entry conditions are becoming more stringent. Our largest market, the European Union (EU), is laying the foundations for new trade partnerships. The EU first signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the South American countries that are members of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), and subsequently concluded an FTA with India. These two agreements will inevitably have negative repercussions for us in the medium and long term. We will not only lose market share in Europe, but the way will also be paved for duty-free entry of Indian- and South American-origin products into Türkiye via the EU. In particular, sectors such as ready-to-wear, automotive, jewelry, climate control, leather, and machinery will be adversely affected. Therefore, we too must take action. We must accelerate our initiatives for similar partnerships, including the modernization of the Customs Union.”
“We Continue Our Market Search Without Distinguishing Between Near and Distant”
Mustafa Gültepe emphasized that, as TİM, while closely monitoring developments on the one hand, they continue their search for markets without distinguishing between near and distant on the other. Recalling that they have prepared a comprehensive trade delegation program for 2026, Gültepe said, “This year, we have launched a new era of next-generation TİM Vision Delegations in developed markets. We will not limit our programs solely to B2B meetings, but will also bring together the most important players in the market through sectoral panels. We will connect our companies with buyers in strategic and new markets, in addition to our traditional markets. In January, we carried out our trade delegation to Ethiopia. This month, we have delegation programs in Morocco, Tanzania, Azerbaijan, and Germany. I recommend that our companies seeking new customers follow these programs and take part in the delegations.”