Foreign trade in Turkish Lira rises 34 percent in first half

ISTANBUL

Foreign trade conducted in Turkish Lira surged to a record level in the first half of 2025, reaching 698.1 billion liras — up 34.4 percent from the same period last year.

Exports in the local currency totaled 162.3 billion liras between January and June, compared to 144.7 billion liras in the same period of 2024.

Imports made in Turkish lira rose sharply from 374.7 billion liras to 535.8 billion liras, showed data from the Trade Ministry.

Despite a holiday-driven slowdown in June due to Eid al-Adha, annual growth in lira-based trade remained strong.

Monthly exports rose 11.6 percent year-over-year to 23.77 billion liras, while imports surged 61.4 percent to 98.44 billion liras. June’s total lira-based trade volume reached 122.2 billion liras.

During the month, Türkiye exported to 164 countries using its national currency. A total of 29,291 exporters utilized the lira in their foreign transactions.

In dollar terms, Türkiye’s overall exports rose 4.1 percent year-over-year in the first half, totaling $131.44 billion.

From January to June, imports totaled $180.87 billion, up 7.2 percent year-on-year.

Türkiye ran a foreign trade deficit of $49.43 billion in the six-month period, while its export-import coverage ratio was at 72.7 percent.