Türkiye reaches historic $395.9B export milestone, Erdogan says

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Monday that Türkiye reached a historic milestone in foreign trade, recording $395.9 billion in combined goods and services exports in 2025 while highlighting 23 consecutive quarters of uninterrupted economic growth. Speaking at the Turkish Exporters Assembly in Istanbul, Erdogan congratulated the country's leading exporting companies and emphasized the dedication required to achieve such figures amid global tensions. The president noted that the national economy expanded by 3.6% throughout 2025 despite international headwinds, followed by a 2.5% growth rate in the first quarter of 2026.

Goods and services surge

The volume of Türkiye's goods exports climbed to $273.3 billion in 2025, a substantial increase from $36 billion recorded in 2002, according to the official data presented at the assembly. Services exports witnessed an equally dramatic expansion over the same period, rising from $14 billion to $122.6 billion last year. The country's share in global goods exports increased to 1.04% from 0.55%, while its portion of worldwide services exports grew to 1.28% from 0.89%.

High-tech and defense advances

Erdogan pointed to significant strides in technology exports, noting that mid-high and high-tech product sales surged from $10 billion in 2002 to $112 billion in 2025, with annualized manufacturing exports in this category reaching $114.4 billion. The defense and aviation sectors demonstrated particular momentum, with exports jumping 29.5% in the first five months of the year to reach $3.86 billion. "We are now doing in one week the export we used to do in one year," Erdogan said, emphasizing that the defense industry had evolved from generating $248 million annually to achieving $992 million in monthly exports.

Shift in global standing

The president stressed that Türkiye has transformed from an introverted nation into a respected state capable of establishing international relations on equal footing with global powers. Government and private sector actors will continue working hand in hand to elevate the country's export targets even higher throughout this new era, he added. The uninterrupted growth performance has now extended across 23 consecutive quarters, establishing a sustained trajectory of economic expansion.