The 10 Biggest Export Sectors of Türkiye in 2025

3 days ago

3 min read

Türkiye exported a record USD 273.4 billion in 2025.¹ Industry carried most of it: exports registered through exporter associations show industry at USD 194.8 billion (up 6%), agriculture at USD 36.4 billion and mining at USD 6.2 billion.² Which sectors led the way? The table below shows the ten largest sectors by the export values reported from TİM data for 2025.

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1 · Automotive · 41.5 · Up 11.6%
2 · Chemicals · 31.9 · Up 3.9%
3 · Electrical and electronics · 17.7 · Up 6.4%
4 · Ready made garments · 16.8 · Down 6.4%
5 · Steel · 16.5 · Up 2.5%
6 · Ferrous and non ferrous metals · 13.2 · Up 6.5%
7 · Cereals, pulses and oil seeds · 12.4 · Up 3.8%
8 · Machinery and parts · 11.3 · Up 0.7%
9 · Defence and aerospace · 10.0 · Up 48.8%
10 · Textiles and raw materials · 9.4 · Down 0.8%

Sources for the table: TİM sector data as reported by Anadolu Ajansı and Ekonomi Gazetesi, İHKİB and Fuar Dergisi.² ³ ⁴ ⁵ Positions 6 to 10 are ranked by the reported values. Sector tables cover exports registered through exporter associations, so they add up to less than the general total.⁶

Automotive: the clear leader

Automotive was the largest exporting sector for another year, at USD 41.5 billion, up 11.6%.² Growth slowed in 2026: automotive exports reached USD 27.2 billion in the first eight months, up 2.5%.⁷ Türkiye's strength here comes from vehicle plants and a deep base of parts suppliers serving European manufacturers.

Chemicals and electronics: steady growth

Chemicals, the second largest sector, exported USD 31.9 billion (up 3.9%) and electrical and electronics USD 17.7 billion (up 6.4%).² Both sectors supply other manufacturers: plastics, paints, pigments, cables, appliances and components that end up in products around the world. These are also core categories on Turki.sh.

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Defence and aerospace: the fastest riser

Defence and aerospace grew 48.8% to USD 10.0 billion on the TİM basis.² The Defence Industry Agency, which uses a broader definition, reported USD 10.5 billion.⁸ The growth continued into 2026, with USD 6.3 billion exported in the first eight months on the agency's basis, up 16.2%.⁹

Under pressure: garments and textiles

Ready made garments, long one of Türkiye's flagship sectors, fell 6.4% to USD 16.8 billion, with sharp falls to Germany, Spain and Poland.³ Textiles and raw materials were roughly flat. Read more about the forces behind these swings in our article on volatile sectors.

Close to the top ten

Jewellery (USD 7.9 billion, up 6%) and climate control equipment (about USD 7.4 billion, a record) sit just outside the top ten.⁴ ¹⁰ Ships and yachts (up 17.4%) and fresh fruit and vegetables (up 8.9%) were among the other strong performers.⁴

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