City accounts for 37.5% of Turkey’s total exports as national figure climbs 8.1% to $23.5bn
Istanbul recorded its highest-ever monthly export total in August, with companies in the city shipping $8.8bn worth of goods abroad — a 11.6% increase on the same month last year — as the city continued to lead Turkey’s export drive.
According to figures compiled by the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM), Turkey’s overall exports rose 8.1% year-on-year in August to reach $23.5bn, with Istanbul alone accounting for 37.5% of the national total.
Istanbul retained its position as Turkey’s top-exporting province by a wide margin, followed by Kocaeli with $1.7118bn, Ankara with $1.3466bn, Bursa with $1.2387bn and Izmir with $1.1902bn.
By sector, jewellery was Istanbul’s single largest export category, worth around $1.5bn, followed by chemicals and chemical products at $1.4bn, ready-made clothing and apparel at $865.4m, electrical and electronics goods at $800.2m, and the automotive industry at $700.5m.
Jewellery was also the sector that saw the sharpest rise in exports among Istanbul-based companies, up $1.1bn, followed by iron and non-ferrous metals, up $62.9m, mining products, up $60.8m, steel, up $57.5m, and electrical and electronics goods, up $53m. In total, Istanbul’s iron and non-ferrous metals firms exported $613.6m, mining companies $206.3m, and steel sector companies $635m.
Officials attributed the export gains to Turkey’s continued trade diplomacy and government support measures for exporters, noting that exports have played a significant role in supporting economic activity and employment even as global economic headwinds and geopolitical risks have weighed on energy and raw material prices.
