Erdogan Announces Record $396.5 Billion Turkish Exports for 2025

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced in early January 2026 that Türkiye achieved the highest annual export figure in the history of the republic during 2025. Total exports of goods and services reached $396.5 billion, surpassing the government target of $390 billion. Goods exports specifically rose 4.5% year-on-year to $273.4 billion, with December 2025 recording a historic monthly high of $26.4 billion.

The industrial sector drove this growth, posting a record $194.8 billion in exports, led by the automotive industry at $41.5 billion. Defense and aviation exports surged 48% over 2024 to reach $10.05 billion, supported by new contracts with Indonesia, Portugal, Spain, and Romania. Erdogan credited these results to the Medium-Term Program, an economic initiative aimed at maximizing exports and reducing the current account deficit. By the end of 2025, the economy grew to $1.538 trillion from $1.26 trillion in 2024.

Türkiye became the European Union's fifth-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade totaling $232.7 billion. Erdogan called for the modernization of the 1995 customs union agreement to ensure sustainable growth and protect Turkish industrialists from protectionist reflexes. Looking forward, the president set a 2026 export target of $410 billion.