According to preliminary data announced by the Ministry of Trade on 3 September and foreign trade statistics published by TÜİK on 30 September, exports in August rose by 8.1% compared with the same month of the previous year to USD 23,467 million, while imports rose by 10.5% to USD 28,706 million. The foreign trade deficit widened by 22.3% to USD 5,239 million, and the export-to-import coverage ratio fell from 83.5% to 81.7%. Exports excluding energy and gold rose by 2.7% to USD 20,831 million. Manufacturing products made up 93.6% of total exports, while the share of high-technology products was 3.6% in manufacturing exports and 12.0% in manufacturing imports. In the January–August period, exports rose by 4.0% to USD 184,996 million.
TÜBİAD's assessment
In TÜBİAD's assessment, the August data should be read at two levels. Although the rise in total exports appears strong, the fact that exports excluding energy and gold grew by only 2.7% indicates that a significant part of the increase came from these items. The gap between the share of high-technology products in manufacturing exports and in manufacturing imports points to a continuing difference in technology intensity in foreign trade. The weakening of expectations for export orders over the next three months in the September Business Tendency Survey of the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye (CBRT) also highlights the need to strengthen product and market diversification.
At TÜBİAD, we are placing value added and technology intensity in exports, which is also among the priorities of the Medium-Term Programme (MTP), at the centre of the work of the Business Community and International Trade Directorate. The International Market Access and Business Development Programme assesses businesses' choice of products and markets together with their production and delivery capacity. The International Institutional Cooperation Programme provides a working framework for developing joint technology and trade projects with institutions in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Sources
- Ministry of Trade — Foreign Trade Data for August 2026 (3 September 2026) — ticaret.gov.tr
- Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) — Foreign Trade Statistics, August 2026 (30 September 2026) — veriportali.tuik.gov.tr
- Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye (CBRT) — Business Tendency Statistics and Real Sector Confidence Index, September 2026 (21 September 2026) — tcmb.gov.tr
- Presidency of Strategy and Budget — Medium-Term Programme (2027-2029) (6 September 2026) — sbb.gov.tr