Turkey's Textile Exports Decline Amid Rising Global Competition

Turkey remains a top 10 global textile exporter, but its apparel export share fell by nearly 1% in 2025 (vs 2024), while textile & raw material exports to the EU declined 5.1% in 2025.

In 2025, China supplied over 1/5th of Europe’s apparel imports, Bangladesh gained further share, and Turkish wage rates were nearly 4× higher than Egypt’s, where 200+ Turkish factories operated in 2025.

The Turkish lira depreciated 200% (2012–2022), fell another 20% in 2025, and hit a record 43.5 per US$ in Feb 2026, while clothing & footwear prices rose nearly 9% YoY in Oct 2025.

The EU’s new FTA with India grants zero duty access, increasing competition, while Vietnam and Cambodia also gained EU market share in 2025.

Turkey’s technical textile market is projected to reach US$ 1.8 billion by 2030, and import duties were raised by 30–100% in 2023 to support domestic manufacturers.