Turkey Textile and Apparel Exports 2025: Markets, Products

Turkey textile and apparel exports in 2025: figures by sector

In TİM's 2025 sector table, apparel was the sharpest faller among the textile sectors; yarn, fabric and fiber and carpets stayed almost flat. Total goods exports rose 4.5% the same year, so textiles' share of the total shrank.

Source: TİM sector table, 1 January-December 31, 2025 (Turkey-wide columns, as reproduced in AKİB's December 2025 evaluation); total exports from the Ministry of Trade, Foreign Trade Data Bulletin, December 2025.

The three sectors made up 11.6% of total goods exports in 2024 and 10.6% in 2025 (Tekstil Rehberi calculation). The Ministry's bulletin gives total exports of US$273.43 billion under the General Trade System. It says that December data come from the Ministry's administrative records, while earlier months come from official data prepared jointly with TÜİK, the Turkish Statistical Institute. TÜİK's own announcement of 30 January 2026 put 2025 exports at US$273.36 billion, up 4.4% (as reported by DHA).

Apparel's decline has lasted several years. According to İHKİB, exports stood at US$21.19 billion in 2022; by 2025 they had fallen about 20.9% (Tekstil Rehberi calculation), and apparel's share of total exports dropped from 8.3% to 6.1%. In 2025 apparel was Turkey's fourth-largest export sector, behind automotive (17.5%), chemicals (13.5%) and electrical-electronics (7.5%). In January-September 2026 it fell to fifth, behind steel as well.

In global terms, the Ministry's reports place Turkey eighth in world apparel exports with a 3% share, and sixth in world exports of textiles and raw materials with a 3.5% share. World exports of textiles and raw materials fell 1.9% to US$269.2 billion in 2025, while Turkey's exports, on the Ministry's own definition, fell 0.7% to US$9.35 billion (Ministry report based on ITC Trade Map data).

Apparel: which countries does Turkey export to?

By country

According to İHKİB's exporter-association records, Germany was again the largest market in 2025 with US$2.64 billion, taking 15.8% of apparel exports. In the Ministry of Trade's table the top five countries were the same in 2024 (Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and France), and all five declined in 2025. The top ten markets took about 69.3% of the total, and six of them are EU members.

Source: İHKİB, Current Situation January 2026 (2025 data) and October 2026 (January-September 2026 change). The share column is a Tekstil Rehberi calculation against the 2025 sector total.

The two larger markets that grew were the United States (+1.7%) and Iraq (+13.3%), and both grew again in the first nine months of 2026. Spain fell 9.6% in 2025 but returned to growth (+3.7%) in January-September 2026, while Germany, France and Poland kept falling. In the Ministry's table, which covers only HS chapters 61 and 62, Iraq stands out more: from US$549 million to US$710 million (+29.3%), while the United States was flat at US$735 million. In the same table Jordan rose from US$59 million to US$199 million, Saudi Arabia fell from US$316 million to US$195 million (-38.4%), and Romania grew 22.3%. The direction is consistent; the size depends on the source.

Seen from the importing side (ITC Trade Map 2025, cited in İHKİB's report), Turkey is Germany's third-largest apparel supplier with an 8.8% share, and the fourth-largest supplier to Spain (8.5%), the United Kingdom (6.7%) and France (5.7%). In the United States, the world's largest apparel importer (US$101.8 billion of imports in 2024, about 19% of world imports), Turkey's share is 1.2% and it ranks 17th. This shows that Turkey starts from a small share in the US market; later data will show whether that share grows (Tekstil Rehberi's interpretation). The two records do not always match: the Netherlands is Turkey's second-largest market in the exporter records (US$1.91 billion), but in Trade Map Turkey ranks seventh among Dutch apparel suppliers (4.5%). For the duty rules that apply to EU, UK and US buyers, see clothing manufacturers in Turkey.

Country groups and the EU

Apparel exports to the EU fell 8.1% in 2025 to US$10.16 billion, a 60.6% share. Among the country groups, only the Middle East (+1.9%), the Americas (+1.0%) and Africa (+5.6%) grew; the Turkic Republics fell 14.4%. İHKİB does not say which countries each group includes.

Source: İHKİB (e-Birlik records). The share column is a Tekstil Rehberi calculation; the nine groups add up to about US$5 million less than the sector total.

The EU's large share also has a legal basis. The European Commission describes the EU-Turkey customs union as confirming the liberalized trade regime, meaning the removal of tariffs and quantitative restrictions, for all industrial goods between the EU and Turkey; clothing is one of these goods (Tekstil Rehberi's interpretation). The Ministry of Trade's report also lists geographic proximity to Europe and short lead times as advantages of the sector. The same report says that textile regulation in the EU is tightening (digital product passport, producer responsibility, waste management) and that environmental compliance now directly affects market access and competitiveness.

Turkey in the EU's own records

According to Eurostat data cited in İHKİB's report, EU imports of apparel from non-EU countries rose 7.3% to €77.60 billion in January-September 2025. Turkey was third with €7.22 billion (a 9.3% share, Tekstil Rehberi calculation), behind China and Bangladesh. But imports from Turkey fell 9.2% in value and 10.5% in quantity, while imports from China, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Vietnam grew.

Source: Eurostat, January-September 2025 (via İHKİB, Current Situation January 2026). The table shows eight of the top ten suppliers.

A unit price of €20.7 per kilogram places Turkey above China and Bangladesh and below Morocco and Tunisia. Unit price also reflects product mix; on its own it does not mean "expensive" or "cheap" (Tekstil Rehberi's interpretation).

Apparel: top export products

In the Ministry of Trade's HS-based report, knitted apparel (HS chapter 61) was US$9.62 billion in 2025, 58.6% of apparel exports, down 4.9%. Woven apparel (chapter 62) fell 8.3% to US$6.77 billion. Among single product lines, women's woven suits, dresses and similar garments are the largest.

Source: Ministry of Trade, Apparel Sector Report 2026 (4-digit HS headings; chapters 61 and 62 only). The table covers a different scope from the İHKİB and TİM total (US$16.77 billion); the sum of the eight lines is not the sector total.

In İHKİB's own product-group classification, women's apparel is the largest group at US$4.77 billion, followed by knitwear (triko, US$2.90 billion), T-shirts (US$2.35 billion), made-up articles (hazır eşya, US$1.98 billion) and men's apparel (US$1.73 billion). Only the accessories group grew in 2025 (from US$98 million to US$101 million). In January-September 2026, T-shirts (+1.4%) and socks (+1.2%) rose slightly, while knitwear fell about 10.4% (Tekstil Rehberi calculation from İHKİB values).

Yarn, fabric and fiber: Italy, Egypt and the United States

According to the Ministry of Trade's Textile and Raw Materials Sector Report, the sector exported US$9.35 billion in 2025, down 0.7% (HS chapters 50-60, excluding carpets in chapter 57). Cotton products are the largest line. Knitted fabric exports fell 9.1%, while nonwovens and special yarns grew 6.4%.

Source: Ministry of Trade, Textile and Raw Materials Sector Report 2026. The table shows the five largest chapters; the remaining chapters are included in the total.

Source: Ministry of Trade, Textile and Raw Materials Sector Report 2026. The top 20 countries took 70.7% of exports.

Exports to Egypt and Morocco rose 19.9% and 13.9%. Exports to China rose 31.6%, but from a small base of US$141 million (US$186 million in 2025). The Russian Federation (-20.0%), Belarus (-17.7%) and Romania (-13.1%) were the markets that fell most. The report does not explain the rise in Egypt. The Ministry's apparel report says Turkey's apparel imports from Egypt grew 61.2% to US$397 million. If apparel production in Egypt is growing, demand for yarn and fabric may have risen too, but these figures do not confirm the link (Tekstil Rehberi's interpretation).

To compare and order fabric from Turkish suppliers, read fabric suppliers in Turkey and browse Tekstil Rehberi's fabric and yarn company directories.

Home textiles and carpets

Home textiles are not a separate sector row at TİM; the Ministry of Trade publishes a separate report based on its own list of HS lines. According to that report, home textile exports fell 3.4% to US$2.40 billion in 2025. The largest lines were bed linen (US$617 million, 25.7% share), curtain and upholstery fabric (US$562 million, 23.4%) and towels and bathrobes (US$310 million, 12.9%). The top two markets were Germany (US$333 million, 13.8% share; exports down 8.0%) and the United States (US$319 million, 13.3%). Exports to Italy grew 6.4% and to Kazakhstan 18.6%.

The Ministry's list includes lines from HS chapters 54, 58, 61, 62 and 63 (for example, curtain fabric, towels and bathrobes). The figure therefore overlaps with the fabric and apparel sectors and should not be added to the totals above. Carpets are a separate sector at TİM: US$2.84 billion in 2025 (-1.0%).

To look for suppliers, see Tekstil Rehberi's home textiles and carpet company directories.

The first nine months of 2026

According to İHKİB, apparel exports fell 2.6% to US$12.37 billion in January-September 2026. Exports in the twelve months from October 2025 to September 2026 were US$16.43 billion (-3.4%). The EU took US$7.31 billion (-6.1%). Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Poland declined, while Spain, the United States and Iraq grew. The Middle East, Former Eastern Bloc, Americas and Africa groups grew (see the tables above). According to TİM, textiles and raw materials rose 1.7% to US$7.16 billion in January-September.

Same sector, different figure: why sources differ

More than one official figure circulates for Turkey's textile and apparel exports. The main reason is scope and record system: institutions use either the exporter associations' registry or foreign trade data compiled by HS chapter, and they count different chapters. The Ministry of Trade explains the gap in apparel by chapter coverage; the reasons for differences at country level are not explained in the sources.

The sources do not break the difference down line by line, and Tekstil Rehberi has not done so either. When you work with these numbers, five checks help:

1. Stay with one source. Do not mix two institutions' figures in one table. When you calculate a country's share, take both the share and the total from the same source.
2. State the scope. When you write "apparel," say which HS chapters are counted. When you write "textiles," say whether carpets, home textiles and leather are included.
3. Check the period. January-September cumulative, the last twelve months and the calendar year are different things.
4. Check the currency. TİM and İHKİB report in US dollars, Eurostat in euros; do not compare the two directly.
5. Do not confuse export records with import records. The importing country's data (ITC Trade Map, Eurostat) can differ from Turkey's export record.

What the numbers mean for buyers

Where to follow the numbers

• TİM: monthly sector-based and country-by-sector files (Excel; Turkish-language page).
• İHKİB: a monthly "Current Situation" report on apparel, prepared in the first days of the month (the January-September 2026 report is dated October 5, 2026).
• Ministry of Trade: the monthly Foreign Trade Data Bulletin and annual sector reports (apparel, textiles and raw materials, home textiles).
• TÜİK: the Ministry's bulletin says official foreign trade statistics are announced on TÜİK's website on the last business day of each month.

Most of these publications are in Turkish. Sector data are refreshed every month, so check the period before you use a number.