Turkey’s trade deficit narrowed to $5.16 billion in September 2026, down from $6.96 billion in the same month a year earlier, though it came in slightly above the preliminary estimate of a $5.23 billion shortfall.
Exports rose 15.3% year-on-year to $25.97 billion, supported by robust growth in several key categories: precious stones, metals, pearls, and related articles (+82.5%); electrical machinery and equipment (+41.0%); and mineral fuels, oils, and products of their distillation (+30.1%). Export values increased notably to Germany (up 7.5% to $2.04 billion), the United States (up 42.0% to $1.91 billion), and the United Kingdom (up 4.3% to $1.44 billion).
Imports climbed 5.6% to $31.13 billion, driven largely by higher purchases of aluminum and aluminum products (+72.5%), copper and copper products (+42.4%), and organic chemicals (+32.6%). On the country side, imports rose mainly from China (up 23.5% to $5.26 billion), the United States (up 21.3% to $1.78 billion), and Italy (up 12.4% to $1.14 billion).
Over the January–September period, the cumulative trade deficit widened to $70.97 billion, compared with $67.16 billion in the same period a year earlier.
