Grocery retail dominates Türkiye’s small business sector

ANKARA

Türkiye’s small business landscape remained dynamic in January, with “grocery retail, dealership and kiosk operations” emerging as the most widespread trade among shopkeepers, according to compiled data.

A total of 194,000 tradespeople were engaged in the sector, making it the most common line of work among the country’s 2.25 million artisans and small business owners operating across 184 professions.

In total, 2,300,000 registered tradespeople contributed to the economy through 2,500,000 workplaces nationwide.

By province, Istanbul ranked first with 283,000 trades people, followed by İzmir, Ankara, Antalya and Bursa. At the other end of the scale, Bayburt recorded the lowest number with 2,200, trailed by Ardahan, Tunceli, Iğdır and Gümüşhane.

Transport and food services also featured prominently among leading sectors. Road freight transport employed 189,000 tradespeople, while restaurant operations accounted for 140,000. Service vehicle operators totaled 100,000 and taxi drivers numbered 86,000.

Women made up 19.25 percent of all tradespeople, totaling 435,000, while men accounted for 1.82 million. Overall, tradespeople represented 2.65 percent of Türkiye’s population.

Business activity remained robust at the start of 2026. In January alone, 28,000 new businesses were registered, while 13,000 ceased operations. Istanbul again led to new registrations with 3,300 openings.

Access to finance also continued, with 17,000 tradespeople receiving a combined 12.6 billion Turkish Liras (around $285 million) in loans through state banks and cooperatives.

Exports by small businesses reached $32.25 million, led by shipments to the United Arab Emirates, followed by Mongolia, Romania, Saudi Arabia and Germany. Imports stood at $41.14 million.

Meanwhile, 346 capacity reports were approved in January, with the food and agriculture sector leading with 140 reports.