Türkiye's May Exports Reached USD 22.5 Billion
President of the TİM Mustafa Gültepe: We are up 0.3% in five-month exports and 3% in 12-month exports. In the sectoral rankings, the automotive industry maintained its leadership with USD 3.3 billion in exports, followed by chemicals with USD 3 billion and electrical-electronics with USD 1.5 billion.
Türkiye recorded exports worth USD 22.5 billion in May, a month completed with only 14 official working days due to public holidays. Exports for the first five months of 2026 reached USD 111.2 billion, while rolling 12-month exports climbed to USD 273.5 billion.
The May export figures were announced in Ankara by Minister of Trade Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat and President of the Türkiye Exporters Assembly (TİM) Mustafa Gültepe.
Mustafa Gültepe stated that the six business days lost to public holidays in May had a negative impact on export performance. Gültepe continued as follows:
“According to the General Trade System (GTS) records, we achieved exports of USD 22.5 billion in May.
This represents a decline of 9.3% compared to the same month of 2025. Our exports for the first five months rose to USD 111.2 billion, while our rolling 12-month exports reached USD 273.5 billion. We are up 0.3% in five-month exports and 3% in 12-month exports. In the sectoral rankings, the automotive industry maintained its leadership with USD 3.3 billion in exports. It was followed by chemicals with USD 3 billion, electrical-electronics with USD 1.5 billion, steel with USD 1.426 billion, and ready-to-wear apparel with USD 1.289 billion. According to TİM data, 28 of our provinces increased their exports last month. Our top five exporting provinces were İstanbul, Kocaeli, Ankara, Bursa, and İzmir. In May, 888 companies exported for the first time. These companies contributed USD 89 million to our exports. Exchange rate parity also contributed USD 347 million to our exports.”
Mustafa Gültepe noted that the top export destinations were Germany, the United States, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Spain. He also stated that the impact of tensions involving Iran continued to weigh on exports to the Gulf countries, adding, “Our exports to the Gulf Region, which declined by 16.2% last month, remained at USD 2.244 billion.”
Assessing global developments, Mustafa Gültepe pointed out that while demand was recovering in the Eurozone and the United States, capacity utilization rates in China had declined. Noting that China's capacity utilization rate had fallen to its lowest level in the past two years and that the Producer Price Index, which had been declining for 41 consecutive months, had increased for the past two months, Gültepe stated:
“The foremost line of defense of the economy is its factories”
“Chinese manufacturers are increasingly compelled to pass rising costs on to prices. As purchasing activity accelerates in Europe and the United States while prices begin to rise in China, a window of opportunity may emerge for our country. We have successfully turned similar developments into opportunities in the past. Under the new equation, we may be able to attract a portion of these orders to our country. However, producer prices in Türkiye have been rising uninterruptedly for 40 months. Therefore, we urgently need 'price-cost synchronization' on the production front. Growth figures also demonstrate that our expectations must be met without delay. The Turkish economy grew by 2.5% in the first quarter of the year. Growth was once again driven by domestic demand and the services sectors. Net exports, however, reduced our growth performance by 2.5 percentage points. For the past six quarters, net exports have not only failed to contribute to growth but have exerted a downward impact. Had our exports maintained their performance, the Turkish economy would have grown by more than 5% in the first quarter. Industry also contracted by 0.8% in the first quarter. Leading indicators suggest that this contraction will extend into the second quarter.
Such a growth composition gradually creates structural vulnerabilities within our economy. Yet we know that the foremost line of defense of the economy is its factories. We regard industrial production as one of the most critical pillars of national security and economic independence. For precisely this reason, at least half of growth must originate from export-oriented industrial production in order to achieve healthy and sustainable development. To regain our competitiveness and accelerate once again, we must reposition our industry around the pillars of investment, production, and exports.”
“We are moving forward with determination in line with our objectives”
Mustafa Gültepe stated that while closely monitoring developments, they were also continuing fair participation and trade delegation programs without interruption. He concluded his remarks as follows:
“As TİM and the exporters' associations, we organized 16 trade delegations, 3 buyer delegations, participated in 32 trade fairs, and carried out 4 UR-GE activities in May. This month, we aim to participate in 34 trade fairs, organize 8 sectoral trade delegations, and carry out 4 UR-GE activities. In short, we continue to produce and export with all our strength. Monthly export figures may fluctuate due to calendar-related shifts. Once the June data are available, we will have a much clearer picture of the first half of the year. Despite all challenges, we continue to affirm that 'our business is production, our strength is exports,' and we move forward with determination in line with our objectives.”