Foreign trade deficit hits a record high

According to provisional foreign trade data prepared jointly by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) and the Ministry of Trade, exports in September 2025 rose by 2.8 percent compared to the same period last year, reaching 22 billion 576 million dollars. In the same period, imports increased by 8.7 percent, reaching 29 billion 479 million dollars.

In the January-September period, exports were recorded at 200 billion 578 million dollars, an increase of 4.1 percent, while imports were recorded at 267 billion 637 million dollars, an increase of 5.9 percent. During this period, the foreign trade deficit rose by 11.8 percent to 67 billion 60 million dollars.

TRADE DATA EXCLUDING ENERGY AND GOLD

In September, exports excluding energy products and non-monetary gold rose by 2.1 percent to 21 billion 227 million dollars. In the same period, imports increased by 5.8 percent, reaching 22 billion 438 million dollars. In this context, the foreign trade deficit excluding energy and gold stood at 1 billion 211 million dollars.

While the export-to-import coverage ratio fell to 76.6 percent in September, this ratio was determined to be 94.6 percent excluding energy and gold. The foreign trade volume increased by 4.0 percent, reaching 43 billion 665 million dollars. These data highlight the changes occurring in Turkey's foreign trade balance.

News Source: 12punto