Turkish Apparel Exports Fall 14% in October as Total Exports Hit Record

Türkiye exported goods worth $25.9 billion in October 2026, 8.1 per cent more than a year earlier and the highest October total on record, according to figures presented in Istanbul by Trade Minister Ömer Bolat and Mustafa Gültepe, president of the Türkiye Exporters Assembly (TİM). Ready-to-wear and apparel did not share in the growth: the sector's exports fell 14.1 per cent, the second-largest drop among the main sectors after shipbuilding and yachts, which lost 23.6 per cent.

Gültepe said export volumes fell 1.7 per cent in October and 2.1 per cent over the first ten months even as values rose, and put the gap down to inflation and cost increases in Türkiye running ahead of competitor countries. He also said many exporters now receive an effective foreign-exchange conversion support rate below 1 per cent, against an expected increase from the 3 per cent rate, and that euro–dollar parity movements cost exporters $463 million in October.

A sector report from the Istanbul Apparel Exporters' Association (İHKİB), dated 3 November, puts apparel exports for January–October 2026 at $13.66 billion, 3.8 per cent below the $14.21 billion of the same period in 2025. Knitted garments made up 53 per cent of the total, woven garments 35 per cent and made-up textile articles 12 per cent.

Germany remained the largest market at $1.96 billion but fell 12.9 per cent. The Netherlands dropped 7.0 per cent, the United Kingdom 7.2 per cent and Poland 26.0 per cent, while Spain edged up 1.0 per cent, the United States rose 3.8 per cent and Iraq 22.6 per cent. Exports to the European Union as a whole fell 6.9 per cent to $8.05 billion; shipments to the Middle East grew 7.5 per cent and to former Eastern Bloc countries 13.5 per cent.

The same report shows the pressure on jobs. Registered employment in apparel stood at 500,898 in August 2026, 28,646 fewer than a year earlier, and textiles and apparel together employed 850,384 people. Eurostat data cited by İHKİB show Türkiye was still the European Union's third-largest apparel supplier in January–July 2026, but with the value of its shipments down 13.1 per cent and volume down 13.7 per cent.