Year 2025: Decline In Textiles, Strong Performance In Technical Textiles

The December 2025 export assessment published by the Istanbul Textile and Raw Materials Exporters’ Association (İTHİB) reveals that Türkiye’s textile and apparel sectors concluded the year with differing performances amid global demand contraction, cost pressures, and shifting market dynamics.

Export registration figures for the January–December 2025 period indicate that demand conditions in labor-intensive sectors remained weak; however, product-based transformation and value-added production increasingly sharpened the divergence between sectors.

According to the report, total exports of the textile and ready-to-wear sectors amounted to USD 2.03 billion in December 2025. On an annual basis, a downward trend in total exports is notable. Total exports, which stood at USD 27.07 billion in the January–December 2024 period, declined to USD 25.83 billion in the same period of 2025, underscoring the impact of global demand contraction and cost pressures on the sector.

The ready-to-wear and garment sector delivered a weaker performance throughout 2025. In the January–December 2025 period, ready-to-wear and garment exports fell by 7.3% year-on-year to USD 14.45 billion. This decline is mainly attributed to ongoing consumption contraction in key markets—particularly the European Union—along with high inflation and inventory destocking processes.

By contrast, the textile and raw materials sector presented a relatively more balanced outlook. In the January–December 2025 period, exports of textile and raw materials reached USD 11.39 billion, while the sector recorded USD 944 million in exports in December alone. This performance indicates that the textile and raw materials sector maintained an export structure focused on value preservation throughout the year and followed a more resilient trajectory compared to the ready-to-wear sector.

ITALY RANKS FIRST IN TÜRKİYE’S TEXTILE EXPORTS

According to the report, the top 5 countries in Türkiye’s textile exports accounted for a significant portion of total exports. In the January-December 2025 period, Italy maintained its position as the country to which Türkiye exported the most textiles, with $838 million. Italy was followed by the USA with $792 million and Germany with $715 million. Among the top five countries, Egypt stood out with an export volume of $567 million. The increase in exports to Egypt revealed that the investments of Turkish textile companies in that country and the strengthening of regional production-trade relations had a positive impact on exports. Spain ranked fifth in Türkiye’s textile exports with $460 million.

TECHNICAL TEXTILES SHOWED RESILIENCE IN 2025

When technical textile exports are examined on a product group basis, it is seen that exports in this field followed a stable course in the 2024-2025 period, led by value-added and functional products. According to the report, technical textiles continue to be one of the most resilient product groups with high growth potential within the Turkish textile sector, despite the slowdown in global textile demand.

Technical textile exports, which amounted to 2 billion 265 million dollars in the January-December 2024 period, increased by 2.8% to 2 billion 296 million dollars in the same period of 2025. This increase revealed that technical textiles played a balancing role in the total sector exports and that the value-added-oriented production structure positively reflected on export performance.

A similar trend was observed on a monthly basis as well. Technical textile exports, which totaled $179 million in December 2024, increased to $184 million in December 2025, representing a 2.7% rise. This performance demonstrates that technical textiles continued to be in demand in the last month of the year and maintained their stable structure.

THE LARGEST AMOUNT OF TECHNICAL TEXTILE EXPORTS WAS TO THE USA

When the country-based distribution of technical textile exports is examined, it is seen that markets with developed industrial infrastructure stand out. In December 2025, the USA ranked first with $22.3 million in exports, while the total technical textile exports to the USA in the January-December 2025 period amounted to $218.7 million. The USA was followed by Germany with $171.4 million, Italy with $162.7 million, the UK with $141.6 million, and Spain with $101.0 million. These countries were among Türkiye’s strongest markets, especially for industrial and performance-oriented technical textile products.

When technical textile exports are evaluated by product groups, non-woven fabrics took the largest share. With exports of $66.1 million in December 2025 and $824.4 million in the January-December 2025 period, nonwoven fabrics continued to be the leading subgroup of technical textiles. Bags and sacks for packaging made from technical textiles stood out with an export volume of $353.6 million in the January-December 2025 period, while exports in the wadding and felt group reached $187.4 million.

WOVEN FABRICS MAINTAIN THEIR STRENGTH IN EXPORTS

Woven fabrics, which rank second in export rankings based on product groups, were one of the product groups that maintained their stable structure in the 2024-2025 period. Woven fabric exports, which reached $2.202 billion in 2024, increased to $2.207 billion in 2025, registering a limited increase. This increase, achieved despite the weakness in global demand, revealed that the woven fabric group maintained its strategic and sustainable share in Türkiye’s textile exports.

Monthly data, however, indicated a stronger performance in the woven fabric group. Woven fabric exports, which were $177 million in December 2024, increased to $198 million in December 2025, showing an increase of 11.6%.

This strong increase made woven fabrics one of the product groups that recorded the highest increase in December and showed that year-end demand remained strong in this area. When examining the country-based distribution of woven fabric exports, European and neighboring markets stand out. In the January-December 2025 period, Spain ranked first with exports totaling $271.8 million. Spain was followed by Morocco with $170.1 million, Egypt with $163.6 million, Italy with $150.1 million, and Tunisia with $124.3 million. This shows the increasing importance of the Mediterranean basin and neighboring regions in woven fabric exports.

In terms of product groups, cotton woven fabrics maintained their leading position. In the January-December 2025 period, cotton woven fabrics ranked first with an export volume of $888.8 million, while artificial and synthetic filament woven fabrics came in second with $864.3 million. Woven fabrics made of artificial and synthetic staple fibers ranked third, with exports amounting to USD 465.6 million.

PRICE COMPETITION LIMITED YARN EXPORTS

Yarn exports experienced a limited decline in the 2024-2025 period due to the impact of weak global demand and intense price competition. Yarn exports, recorded at $1.742 billion in 2024, decreased by 2.8% to $1.693 billion in 2025. This decline revealed that increasing price pressure, especially in standard yarn groups, limited export performance.

However, monthly data indicated a partial recovery in yarn exports towards the end of the year. Yarn exports, which were $179 million in December 2024, increased by 0.6% to $181 million in December 2025. This limited increase showed that orders were maintained in some markets despite the weakness in demand.

When the country-based distribution of yarn exports is examined, the weight of European countries and the surrounding geography is noteworthy. Between January and December 2025, Italy ranked first with exports totaling $211.0 million. Italy was followed by Egypt with $200.4 million, Portugal with $164.3 million, the United Kingdom with $159.1 million, and the United States with $145.7 million. These countries were among Türkiye’s most important markets, particularly for cotton and synthetic yarns.

In terms of product groups, artificial and synthetic filament yarns stood out in yarn exports. With an export volume of $786.7 million between January and December 2025, this group ranked first, while cotton yarn came in second with $714.5 million. Artificial and synthetic staple yarns continued to be a significant sub-segment of the yarn group with exports totaling $640.4 million.

STAGNATION TREND IN HOME TEXTILE EXPORTS

Home textile exports showed a declining trend in the 2024-2025 period due to the weakening of global demand conditions. Home textile exports, recorded at $1.798 billion in the January-December 2024 period, decreased to $1.625 billion in the same period of 2025, showing a significant decrease on an annual basis. This decline is considered to be influenced by the slowdown in consumer spending and inflationary pressures, especially in the main markets, primarily Europe. However, monthly data indicated a limited recovery in the last period of the year.

Home textile exports, which were $137 million in December 2024, increased to $141 million in December 2025, registering an increase of 3.2%. This increase shows that year-end campaigns and stock replenishment demands partially supported the interest in home textile products. When examining the country-based distribution of home textile exports, it is observed that European Union countries and the USA maintain their dominant positions.

In the January-December 2025 period, Germany ranked first with exports totaling $289.2 million. Germany was followed by the USA with $234.5 million, France with $124.0 million, Italy with $95.0 million, and the UK with $70.4 million. These countries are among the strongest and most stable markets for Türkiye’s home textile exports. In terms of product groups, towels and cleaning cloths maintained their clear leadership in home textile exports.

With an export volume of $566.8 million in the January-December 2025 period, this group ranked first, while bed sheets came in second with $407.6 million. Woven bathrobes were also a significant sub-segment of home textile exports, with exports totaling $159.4 million.

BELARUS AND ITALY ARE THE MAIN MARKETS FOR KNITTED FABRIC EXPORTS

Knitted fabric exports showed a declining trend in the 2024-2025 period due to the weakening global demand conditions and price pressure. Knitted fabric exports, which were $1.155 billion in 2024, decreased slightly to $1.148 billion in 2025. This shows that the knitted fabric group was directly affected by the challenging demand environment in the sector as a whole.

Monthly data indicated that the pressure became more pronounced in the last period of the year. Knitted fabric exports, which were $123 million in December 2024, decreased to $115 million in December 2025, showing a decrease of 6.4%. This decrease stood out as an important signal showing that the demand contraction continues, especially in fast-moving consumer goods.

When the country-based distribution of knitted fabric exports is examined, the concentration in Europe and surrounding markets is noteworthy. Between January and December 2025, Belarus ranked first with exports totaling $216.8 million. Belarus was followed by Italy with $171.1 million, Bulgaria with $133.2 million, Russia with $119.4 million, and Morocco with $117.8 million. This shows that Eastern European and neighboring markets maintain their dominance in knitted fabric exports. In terms of product groups, the “other knitted fabrics” category is the clear leader in knitted fabric exports. With an export volume of $1.099 billion between January and December 2025, this group constituted the majority of total knitted fabric exports. Knitted fabrics containing elastomeric or rubber yarn ranked second with $392.9 million in exports, while knitted pile fabrics amounted to $65.1 million.

COTTON FIBER MAINTAINS ITS LEADERSHIP IN EXPORTS

Fiber exports experienced a limited decline in the 2024-2025 period due to the weakening global demand and price pressure. Fiber exports, recorded at $639 million in 2024, decreased to $631 million in 2025, showing a limited year-on-year decline. This picture revealed that the fiber group has a more sensitive structure to fluctuations in the sector as a whole.

Monthly data, however, indicated that the pressure became more pronounced in the last period of the year. Fiber exports, which were $134 million in December 2024, fell to $113 million in December 2025, recording a sharp decline of 15.2%. This decrease showed that the contraction in demand was felt more clearly at the end of the year, especially in standard and low value-added fiber groups.

When the country-based distribution of fiber exports is examined, the weight of nearby and developing markets is noteworthy. Between January and December 2025, Iran ranked first with exports totaling $152.6 million. Iran was followed by China with $133.9 million, Pakistan with $80.5 million, Italy with $71.0 million, and Bangladesh with $69.9 million. These countries were among Turkey’s leading markets, particularly for cotton and synthetic fibers. In terms of product groups, cotton fiber maintained its leading position in fiber exports. With an export volume of $591.4 million between January and December 2025, cotton fiber ranked first, while synthetic fiber came in second with $537.8 million. Wool fiber had a more limited share with exports of $17.9 million.

YEAR-END RECOVERY SIGNAL IN GARMENT SUPPLIER INDUSTRY

Garment supplier industry exports stood out from the sector as a whole during the 2024-2025 period, showing an upward trend among product groups. Garment supplier industry exports, which were $48 million in December 2024, increased to $51 million in December 2025, registering a 7.4% increase. This increase revealed that demand for supplier products remained relatively resilient despite the slowdown in ready-made garment production.

When evaluated on an annual basis, a limited decline was observed. Garment supplier industry exports, which were $639 million in the January-December 2024 period, decreased to $631 million in the same period of 2025. Despite this limited decrease, the strong performance in December indicated that demand entered a recovery trend in the last period of the year.

When the country-based distribution of garment supplier industry exports is examined, European countries and the nearby geography stand out. In the January-December 2025 period, Romania ranked first with exports worth $50.6 million. Romania was followed by Germany with $46.2 million, the USA with $46.1 million, Egypt with $40.0 million, and Morocco with $28.8 million. These countries were among Turkey’s most important markets, especially for accessories, auxiliary materials, and semi-finished products. In terms of product groups, fasteners made from base metals ranked first in garment sub-industry exports. With an export volume of $104.8 million in the January-December 2025 period, this group was the driving force of sub-industry exports. Felt products ranked second with $98.4 million, while wadding exports reached $89.0 million.