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Türkiye’s exports climbed to an all-time monthly high of $24.8 billion in May, marking a 2.7% year-over-year increase, official figures showed.
Speaking at a press conference in Ankara on Monday, Trade Minister Omer Bolat noted that the country’s exporters have sustained growth “despite weak demand and tough competition.” On a monthly basis, exports surged by 19.4% from April’s $20.8 billion.
Bolat added that the May figure marked the highest monthly export volume in the 102-year history of the Republic.
Between January and May 2025, Türkiye’s total exports reached $110.9 billion, marking a 3.5% increase compared to the same period last year. Imports for the same timeframe rose by 5.7% to $152 billion. Consequently, total foreign trade volume grew by 4.7% to $262.95 billion, while the trade deficit expanded by 12.1% year-over-year to $41.06 billion.
In the 12 months ending in May, Türkiye’s exports reached a historic high of $265.5 billion, up by 1.9% from the previous year. Imports totaled $352.2 billion, marking a 1.4% annual increase.
In May alone, imports posted a modest annual increase of 2.1%, reaching $31.3 billion. This brought the monthly trade deficit to $6.5 billion, slightly above the $6.49 billion recorded in May 2024. However, the figure represented a significant improvement from April 2025, with the deficit narrowing by 46% month-over-month.
The export-to-import coverage ratio rose by 0.4 percentage points year-over-year to 79.3% in May. When excluding energy data, the ratio declined by 1.3 points to 87%. However, when both energy and gold are excluded, the ratio improved by 1.2 points to reach 93.1%.
Germany remained Türkiye’s largest export partner in May, accounting for 8.3% of total shipments. The United Kingdom followed with 6.2%, while the United States and Italy took 6% and 5%, respectively.
On the import side, China was the top source at $4.3 billion, followed by Russia with $3.25 billion and Germany at $2.69 billion.
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