Turkey's 2024 Trade: Large Enterprises Dominate, EU Key Partner
In 2024, Turkey's export and import landscape saw significant contributions from both industry-based and trade-focused enterprises. Industry-based firms handled 56.5% of exports and 47.3% of imports, while trade-focused firms accounted for 39.0% and 38.5% respectively. Notably, large enterprises, though few in number, dominated import transactions.
Large enterprises, making up just 1.1% of importing firms, conducted the majority of import transactions. In the industry sector, these enterprises dominated exports with 68.6% and imports with 80.5%. Conversely, small and medium-sized enterprises carried the bulk of trade sector exports, reaching 89.0%.
Industry accounted for nearly two-thirds of exports to the EU, with the European Union being the most important destination for industrial exports, absorbing 47.5% of shipments. Key EU-based industrial goods import partners for Turkey include Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, and Russia. In terms of enterprise numbers, there were 179,673 exporting enterprises and 318,603 importing enterprises in Turkey in 2024. Manufactured goods were the backbone of exports, with industrial firms sending 96.5% of their shipments in this category.
In 2024, large enterprises accounted for 44.4% of exports and 58.7% of imports in Turkey. Despite making up three-quarters of exporting firms, microenterprises contributed only 18.8% to total exports. This indicates a significant impact of large enterprises on Turkey's trade dynamics, with the EU being a crucial trading partner.
