Türkiye's goods exports rose 15.4% year on year to $26 billion in September, the strongest figure ever recorded for that month, Trade Minister Ömer Bolat announced on October 3 at the Turkish Exporters Assembly in Istanbul.
The September result was also the second-largest monthly export total in the country's history, surpassed only by December 2025. Exports increased in 19 of the 26 sectors tracked by officials.
Annual total tops target
Cumulative exports for January through September grew 5.2% to $211 billion. On a rolling 12-month basis, exports reached $283.7 billion, a record that already exceeds the $282 billion target the government set for full-year 2026.
Imports rose at a slower pace. Inbound shipments increased 5.9% to $31.2 billion in September, which narrowed the monthly trade deficit by 24.8% to $5.2 billion. Exports covered 83.2% of imports during the month.
Over the first nine months, however, imports grew 5.4% to $282 billion, leaving a cumulative trade gap of $71 billion, 5.8% wider than a year earlier. Bolat said the government would try to hold the full-year deficit below $100 billion, even as energy costs have risen because of the conflict in the Gulf region. Türkiye imports most of its oil and natural gas, so higher global energy prices feed directly into its import bill.
Services lift the broader picture
Services exports over the 12 months to September were estimated at $125.4 billion. Combined with goods, total exports of goods and services reached $409.1 billion, just short of the $410 billion year-end target. Bolat also said he expected the current account to show surpluses in August and September, months that typically benefit from strong tourism receipts.
On the diplomatic front, Bolat met Polish Finance and Economy Minister Andrzej Domański in Milwaukee on October 1 on the sidelines of a G20 trade ministers' meeting. Turkish-Polish trade reached a record $12.5 billion in 2025, and the two sides said it could climb to $15 billion. They agreed to hold bilateral consultations and a business and investment forum, and also discussed the Türkiye-EU customs union along with cooperation in energy, logistics and defense.
Sources
Photo: ampersandyslexia / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
