Türkiye’s textile and raw materials sector closed 2025 with exports of USD 11.4 billion, while total exports reached USD 26 billion when combined with the apparel sector. The USD 17 billion foreign trade surplus generated jointly by the two sectors positioned textiles and apparel among the strongest foreign currency–earning industries of the Turkish economy.
At a meeting organised by the Istanbul Textile and Raw Materials Exporters’ Association (İTHİB), the sector’s 2025 performance, the global competitive environment, and expectations for the upcoming period were discussed. The meeting was attended by İTHİB Chairman Ahmet Öksüz, Vice Chairmen Fatih Bilici and Ali Sami Aydın, and Board Member Sultan Tepe.
Türkiye Ranks Among the Top Three in Manufacturing
Speaking at the meeting, Ahmet Öksüz emphasised that the textile and apparel sectors rank third among Türkiye’s highest-exporting industries. He stated that, together with apparel, the sector achieved the highest production volume in manufacturing, with a total production value of USD 77.2 billion. Of this amount, USD 44.8 billion was generated by textiles and USD 32.4 billion by apparel.
40 Percent of Exports Go to the EU
Öksüz reported that textile exports in 2025 amounted to USD 11.3 billion, with the European Union remaining the largest market. Exports to EU countries reached USD 4.5 billion, accounting for 40.3% of total textile exports. Exports to African countries stood at USD 1.5 billion, representing a 13.6% share, while exports to former Eastern Bloc countries totalled USD 1.4 billion, making the region the third-largest export destination. On a country basis, Italy ranked first with exports of USD 838 million, followed by the United States with USD 792 million and Germany with USD 715 million. The most notable increase in 2025 was recorded in the Egyptian market. Driven by Turkish investments in Egypt, exports to the country rose from USD 344 million in 2023 to USD 461 million in 2024, and further to USD 567 million in 2025, marking a 23% increase year-on-year.
Strong Performance in Value-Added Production
The textile sector’s export unit value reached USD 4.3 per kilogram, significantly above Türkiye’s overall export average of USD 1.59 per kilogram. In the apparel sector, the export unit value rose to USD 21.3 per kilogram, highlighting the sector’s strong position in value-added production. Sharing up-to-date data on global textile exports, Ahmet Öksüz noted that eight of the world’s top ten textile exporters are G20 countries, while four are members of the G7. China ranked first with exports of USD 141 billion, followed by India with USD 19 billion, the United States with USD 18 billion, and Germany with USD 13 billion. Türkiye and Italy shared fifth place, each exporting USD 12 billion worth of textiles. It was also highlighted that the United States is the world’s largest investor in textiles, with investments amounting to USD 3 billion.
Rising Share of Inward Processing Regime Imports
Öksüz drew attention to the increasing share of imports carried out under the Inward Processing Regime (IPR). He stated that imports, which peaked at USD 12.7 billion in 2022, declined to USD 7.3 billion in January–November 2025 due to the slowdown in the sector. The share of IPR imports rose to 22.9%, while in the yarn segment this ratio reached a record 44.1%. In cotton yarn, the IPR share climbed to 65.5%. When EU and Free Trade Agreement countries are taken into account, the share of duty-free imports increased to 75%.
Employment Decline Continues
Noting that total employment in the textile and apparel sectors currently stands at 860,000 people, Ahmet Öksüz recalled that employment peaked at 1.25 million people in August 2022. However, he stated that employment in the sector has declined by 31% in recent years. On an annual basis, employment fell by 9.3% in textiles and 12.1% in apparel, while the overall employment loss was recorded at 10.9%.
