Turkey’s Exports Hit Record $273 Billion amid Manufacturing Recovery

Turkey’s exports reached a record high of $273.4 billion in 2025, marking a 4.5% increase from the previous year, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced Saturday. The combined value of goods and services exported by the country last year totaled approximately $396.5 billion.

Erdoğan made the announcement during an event at the Istanbul Conference Center, highlighting the milestone as a sign of resilience in Turkey’s trade sector despite global economic uncertainties.

Turkey’s manufacturing sector, which had been contracting, showed signs of moderation in December, posting two consecutive months of improvement. A business survey released Friday by the Istanbul Chamber of Industry in partnership with S&P Global indicated the manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 48.9 in December, the highest reading in 12 months, up from 48.0 in November.

Readings below 50 indicate contraction, while levels above signal expansion. The increase suggests a slight easing of operating conditions, driven by slower declines in production, new orders, hiring, and purchasing activity.

The survey also noted that while new orders rose at their slowest pace since March 2024, overall demand, including export orders, continued to slow. Production declines were less severe than the previous month, employment dipped slightly, and purchasing activity slowed at a more moderate pace.

Input costs rose sharply due to higher raw material prices, prompting manufacturers to increase selling prices. Andrew Harker, Head of Economies at S&P Global Market Intelligence, told Reuters that the December PMI provides momentum for the sector as Turkey enters 2026.

“Inflationary pressures have returned after November’s low readings, though they remain well below the peaks seen in previous years,” Harker said, highlighting the balance between cost pressures and gradual recovery in manufacturing activity.

The record exports come amid a challenging global trade environment, demonstrating Turkey’s ability to maintain strong trade performance even as manufacturing faces headwinds from input costs and fluctuating demand.