Foreign trade in Turkish lira hits record, up 33% in 9 months

October 7, 2025 admin-dominor

Foreign trade in Turkish lira reached a record level, increasing by 33% in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period last year, surpassing the level of TL 1 trillion ($24 billion), according to a report on Tuesday.

Turkish lira-based foreign trade hit TL 1.06 trillion from January to September, an Anadolu Agency (AA) report said, citing official trade data.

Türkiye’s total exports rose by 4.1% compared to the same period last year, reaching $200.6 billion in the January-September period.

The strong performance in the country’s exports was also reflected in foreign trade conducted in Turkish lira. Here is a detailed list of trades based on months.

Exports in Turkish lira in January increased by 20.4% compared to the same month last year, reaching TL 26.3 billion. Imports rose by 47.2% to reach TL 70.3 billion. Thus, foreign trade in Turkish lira amounted to TL 96.6 billion in the first month of the year.

In the second month of the year, shipments in the local currency increased by 12.4% compared to February of last year to nearly TL 28.3 billion, while imports rose by 19.2% to TL 84 billion. Like this, the foreign trade volume in Turkish lira exceeded TL 112.3 billion in the month.

Moreover, in March, exports in Turkish lira increased by 17.2% compared to the same month in 2024, totaling TL 30.87 billion, while imports increased by 45.7%, amounting to TL 95.76 billion. Thus, the foreign trade volume in March amounted to approximately TL 126.6 billion.

In April, exports were up by 9.1% year-over-year to TL 24.3 billion, while imports jumped 53.5% to TL 97.2 billion. Consequently, the foreign trade volume for that month was calculated as TL 121.5 billion.

In May, exports in Turkish lira increased by 3.3% yearly, hitting TL 28.7 billion, while imports rose by 35.5% to around TL 90 billion. During this period, foreign trade in Turkish lira amounted to some TL 118.7 billion.

In June, which also coincided with the celebration of Eid al-Adha, exports in Turkish lira rose by 11.6% compared to June 2024, reaching TL 23.7 billion, while imports rose by 61.6% to TL 98.5 billion. Therefore, the foreign trade volume in June reached TL 122.3 billion.

In July, the value of overseas shipments in Turkish lira surged by 7.9% on an annual basis, totaling nearly TL 28.2 billion, while imports rose by 51.4% to TL 104.3 billion. The foreign trade volume for this month was recorded as TL 132.5 billion.

In August, exports in Turkish lira followed a similar trend to the same month last year, totaling TL 25.4 billion. Imports, on the other hand, grew by 30.7% to TL 88.4 billion. This resulted in the foreign trade volume of TL 113.8 billion for the month.

In September, the shipments abroad increased by 4.8% on a yearly basis, reaching TL 27.1 billion, and imports rose by 38.3% to TL 91.5 billion. Thus, last month, foreign trade in Turkish lira totaled TL 118.6 billion, according to the data.

As a result, exports in Turkish lira in the January-September period of this year were calculated at TL 242.9 billion, up 9.4% compared to the nine-month period of 2024.

Imports in the same period rose by 42%, reaching TL 820 billion.

Thus, the foreign trade volume in the first nine months of the year increased by 33%, rising from TL 799.5 billion last year to TL 1.06 trillion. This data was recorded as a record when considering nine-month periods.

In September, exports were made to 165 countries in Turkish lira, with 30,668 companies using the local currency in their foreign sales.