According to the export performance report shared by İTHİB, Turkish textile and raw material exports reached 6.6 billion dollars in the first seven months of 2025, recording a 1.7% increase compared to the same period last year and accounting for 4.2% of total exports. In July, however, it decreased by 1.4% compared to the same period in 2024, falling to 955 million dollars. The total exports of the textile and apparel industries decreased by 3.8% in the January-July period compared to the same period last year, falling from 15.6 billion dollars to 15 billion dollars. Its share in total exports amounted to 9.6%.
Exports to Asian and Oceanian countries increased by 81% in July
While no significant difference was observed in the export of textiles and raw materials to EU countries, the increase in exports to African, Asian and Oceanian countries in the first seven months of the year was noteworthy. During this period, exports to the African market increased by 21.6% to 899 million dollars. In terms of volume, this rate reached 26.8%.
During the same period, exports to Asian and Oceanian countries reached 483.7 million dollars, representing a 30.3% increase. In the first seven months of the year, there was a 44.4% increase in volume, while in July, the increase compared to the same month in 2024 was 81%.
During this period, Italy, the United States and Germany ranked in the top three in the export of textiles and raw materials. In terms of value, Italy saw a 0.5% increase, while the United States experienced a 1.3% decline and Germany a 2.3% decline. Exports to Belarus and Russia also decreased by 16% and 18.7%, respectively, during this period, while the highest increase rates were recorded in Egypt with 38.5% and Morocco with 24.6%.
Almost a 20% increase in denim fabric
Technical textile exports, which ranked first in terms of product group, increased by 5.2% in the first seven months of the year, reaching 1.366 billion dollars. The top three countries for technical textile exports were the United States, Germany, and Italy, while the countries with the highest increases were Morocco with 41.2%, the Czech Republic with 24.5%, and the United Kingdom with 23%.
Woven fabrics, which ranked second with exports worth 1.337 billion dollars, saw a 0.3% decline. Spain, Morocco, and Egypt ranked first, second, and third in woven fabric exports with increases of 0.7%, 23.6%, and 67%, respectively.
Yarn exports, in third place, increased by 4.6% to 1.292 billion dollars during the same period, with Italy, Egypt, and Portugal being the top three countries for yarn exports. The yarn product group was followed by knitted fabrics with an 8.7% decrease, home textiles with a 1.3% decrease, and fibres with a 12.1% increase. Denim fabrics, which ranked last, saw the highest increase at 19.8%.
Looking at the capacity utilisation rates for the last 12 months up to June, there was a 4.8% decline in the textile industry and a 2.2% decline in the manufacturing industry.
In the textile and apparel industries, the number of employees, which was over 1 million in the first quarter of 2024, remained below 1 million from August onwards. The number of employees, 989,000 in August 2024, fell to 913,000 in May 2025.