Türkiye's November Exports Reached 22.7 Billion Dollars
In the ranking of the sectors with the highest export volumes, automotive retained its leadership in November with 3.8 billion dollars, followed by chemicals with 2.4 billion dollars and electrical-electronics with 1.5 billion dollars.
Türkiye Exporters Assembly Chairman Mustafa Gültepe: Net exports have been dragging down growth for exactly four consecutive quarters, that is, for an entire year. To reverse this trajectory and restore production and exports as the locomotive of growth, we must regain our competitiveness.
Türkiye's exports in November amounted to 22.7 billion dollars. Exports reached 247.2 billion dollars in the January-November period and 270.6 billion dollars over the past 12 months.
The November export data were announced in Ankara by Minister of Trade Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat and Türkiye Exporters Assembly (TİM) Chairman Mustafa Gültepe.
In his remarks, TİM Chairman Mustafa Gültepe stated that although not at the level they desired, they recorded an increase in November exports. Gültepe continued as follows:
“According to the General Trade System (GTS) records, we achieved exports worth 22.7 billion dollars in November. We are 2.2 percent above the same month of last year. Our 11-month exports in the January-November period reached 247.2 billion dollars, while our exports over the last 12 months rose to 270.6 billion dollars. We are up 3.7 percent in 11-month exports and 3.5 percent in annualized exports. We estimate that our services exports in November will come in at around 9.9 billion dollars. When we look at the sectoral breakdown, automotive once again ranked first with 3.8 billion dollars. It was followed by chemicals with 2.4 billion dollars, electrical-electronics with 1.5 billion dollars, steel with 1 billion 319 million dollars, and ready-to-wear with 1 billion 291 million dollars. In total, 12 of our sectors increased their exports, while 14 sectors ended November in negative territory. According to TİM data, 38 of our provinces increased their exports. Our top five exporting provinces were İstanbul, Kocaeli, Bursa, Ankara and İzmir. In November, 1,008 companies exported for the first time. Our unit export value reached 1.66 dollars. Parity contributed 843 million dollars to our exports last month. Of our 22.7 billion dollars of exports, 3.7 percent stemmed from parity gains.”
Reporting that the countries with the highest export volumes in November were Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy and Iraq, Gültepe noted that exports increased to 124 countries, while declining to 94.
“We can achieve sustainable growth through production and exports”
Evaluating current developments in his speech, Mustafa Gültepe emphasized once again that robust and sustainable growth can only be secured through production and exports. However, he noted that they have faced a different picture over the past year, and continued:
“A few days ago, the growth figures were released. The Turkish economy grew by 3.7 percent in the third quarter. Thus, we preserved the growth streak that has continued for 21 consecutive quarters. Achieving such continuity despite numerous global challenges is undoubtedly significant. However, growth has been carried by consumption rather than production and exports. Household spending rose by 4.8 percent, contributing 3.2 points to growth on its own. In other words, domestic demand constituted the main body of growth. Net exports, meanwhile, pulled growth down by one point. Although our exports appear to be increasing in value, they shrank by 0.7 percent in real terms. More importantly, net exports have negatively affected growth for four quarters, that is, for an entire year. To reverse this course and reestablish production and exports as the locomotive of growth, we must regain our competitiveness.”
“We are sustaining our search for new markets without losing momentum”
Commenting as well on the outlook for global trade and potential risks, Mustafa Gültepe stated:
“Major economies are rapidly tightening their foreign trade policies due to various concerns and objectives. Particularly among G20 countries, protectionism is exhibiting a strong upward trend.
The latest report from the World Trade Organization reveals that the trade volume facing tariff measures in G20 countries has quadrupled in one year. On the other hand, the transition period of the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism concludes at the end of this month. As of 1 January 2026, reporting obligations will commence for our cement, aluminum, electricity, steel and fertilizer sectors. To avoid complications in delivery processes, our companies must complete their preparations within this month. All these developments indicate that more challenging days may await our exports in the coming period. Despite the difficulties, we also know that every era brings its own opportunities. Therefore, without succumbing to pessimism, we continue on our path. We are sustaining our search for new markets without losing momentum. In this context, we organized trade delegations in China, Italy, Indonesia, Malaysia and Ghana in November. This month, we will conduct delegation programs in Senegal, Japan and Côte d'Ivoire.”