US leads as top market for Türkiye's rise in exports value last year

The United States was where Türkiye increased its exports the most in terms of value last year while also being the top second market as the receiver of Turkish goods with over $13 billion (TL 460.66 billion), according to a report on Sunday.

Türkiye continues to be an important magnet for U.S. companies. Particularly, efforts to improve bilateral relations between Türkiye and the U.S., despite certain disagreements, have also positively reflected in foreign trade.

With its strong, large and dynamic economy and strategic location, Türkiye’s potential to attract investment plays a crucial role here. The established trade delegations also contribute to accelerating exports to the U.S.

Accordingly, the U.S. was the country where Türkiye increased its exports the most in value last year, according to the data compiled by Anadolu Agency (AA) from the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM).

Turkish outbound shipments to the U.S. increased by $1.256 billion compared to the previous year. Like this, the U.S. stood at the forefront, while notably, the country also observed a significant increase in the volume of exports to other trading partners such as the U.K. and Romania, in particular.

Following the U.S., the exports to the U.K. increased by $1.254 billion, Romania by $997.9 million, Iraq by $958.8 million and Italy by $879.2 million, respectively.

Last year, Türkiye’s exports to the U.S. reached $13.4 billion, according to the data. Meanwhile, its exports to the U.K. came in at $12.7 billion, to Italy at approximately $12 billion, Iraq at $10.7 billion and Romania at $7.5 billion.

During this period, the countries where Türkiye made the most exports were Germany, the U.S., the U.K., Italy and Iraq. Last year, Turkish exports to Germany reached $18.1 billion.

Chemicals lead

Looking at the products that dominated Türkiye’s sales to the U.S., chemicals and chemical products stood out, becoming the sector with the highest export volume in 2024, amounting to $1.5 billion.

This sector was followed by the automotive industry with $1.2 billion, ready-made clothing and apparel with $856 million, carpets with $784.3 million and electrical and electronics products with exports amounting to $774.1 million.

The chemicals and chemical products sector also led to export growth to the U.S. Last year, the export volume of chemicals and chemical products to the U.S. increased by $370.5 million. It was followed by electrical and electronics with $264.8 million, automotive with $192.3 million, fruit and vegetable products with $83.6 million and steel with $73.3 million.

Last year, exports of fruit and vegetable products to the U.S. reached $429.4 million, and the steel sector’s exports were $627.8 million.

Türkiye’s exports continued to be robust last year, reaching $262 billion in total shipments, a 2.5% increase year-over-year.

Looking at the provinces, in 2024, the highest exports to the U.S. came from companies in Istanbul, with $4.7 billion, the data also revealed. Meanwhile, exports from the capital Ankara amounted to $1.4 billion, from Izmir $1.2 billion, from Kocaeli $1.1 billion and from Gaziantep $1 billion.

Diversification strategy success

Süleyman Ecevit Sanlı, the chairperson of the Turkish-American Businessmen’s Association (TABA-AmCham), told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the increase in trade with the U.S. is part of Türkiye’s success in its market diversification strategy.

He noted that the prominence of the U.S. in exports was made possible by the effective use of logistical advantages and focus on high-value-added products.

“For this increase to continue in the future, trade agreements, digitization and the development of logistics infrastructure will be crucial,” he said.

“The U.S.’ large market potential for Türkiye could especially allow innovative and sustainable products to have a larger presence in this market,” he added.

Regarding the export growth in chemicals and chemical products, Sanlı explained that the increase was driven by the global demand for petrochemical products, the growth in Türkiye’s production capacity, and the diversification of export markets. The increase in the export of value-added products like pharmaceuticals and cosmetics has also supported the sector.

Sanlı emphasized that demand for national projects and increased cooperation with developing countries would support the defense and aerospace industries, while Türkiye’s growing production capacity in green energy technologies would bolster the renewable energy sector.

He also forecasted an increase in exports from electrical and electronics, furniture, paper and forestry products, service exports, and exports of grains, pulses, oilseeds and their products.

Sanlı also pointed out that the protectionist policies under the Donald Trump administration in the U.S. could weaken Türkiye’s competitive edge, particularly in sectors like steel and aluminum.

The risk of rising tariffs and increased costs could make access to the U.S. market more difficult. Therefore, focusing on innovative products and price advantages to fill tariff gaps is very important, according to Sanlı.