Turkish exports hit record high in 2025, Erdoğan says

Turkey’s exports hit a record high of $396 billion in 2025, driven by the automobile and defence sectors, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said.

The country has become Europe’s fourth-largest vehicle production hub and the world’s 12th-largest, producing 1.5 million annually and exporting automobiles worth more than $41 billion, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported, citing Erdogan’s speech at an event in Istanbul.

He said defence and aviation exports are among Turkey’s major sources of income, as the country has emerged globally as a recognised player.

Erdogan highlighted an agreement with Spain for the procurement of Turkey’s homegrown aircraft Hurjet, adding that the plane’s entry into the inventory of a European Nato member would open opportunities in the coming years.

Defence exports have risen 40-fold from $248 million in 2002 to $9.87 billion in 2025, he said.

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The president said Turkey had become the European Union’s fifth-largest trading partner, with trade volume at $233 billion last year and exports to the bloc rising to $117 billion.

Modernising the customs union with the EU is now “unavoidable”, he said, forecasting the bloc would soon begin negotiations.

Ankara’s exports in 2025 reached $73.7 billion with Organisation of Islamic Cooperation members, $11 billion with Turkic states, $5.6 billion with non-EU Balkan countries, and $19.2 billion with the US, Canada and Mexico.