The Wheels are in Motion in Textile, the Sector Has Set an Export Record

The textile sector, one of the heart and soul of the Turkish economy, made a great contribution to the economy in 2022. While textile production decreased worldwide due to wars, raw material crisis and energy costs, there was an increase in Turkey.

Turkey is a country rich in raw materials required for textiles due to its geographical structure and location. Especially in recent years, Turkey, which has reduced the increasing logistics costs thanks to its geopolitical location, has become a preferred destination for both domestic and foreign investors. The momentum created by textiles and its subgroups in foreign trade volume was also reflected in export figures.

According to 2021 data, China had the largest share in the textile market with 35%, followed by India with 6.9%, the United States of America (USA) with 5.3% and Turkey with 4.2%. In 2022, the share of the textile industry, which exported to 197 countries and regions, in the country’s total exports in the same period was 4.1 percent.

Record Exports Volume from the Textile Industry in 2022

According to the data of Istanbul Textile and Raw Materials Exporters’ Association (İTHİB); In January-December 2022, the textile industry achieved 12.9 billion dollars’ worth of exports with an increase of 0.6% compared to the same period of the previous year. Thus, the textile and raw materials sector reached the highest annual exports of all time.

In 2022, the highest exports of textile and raw materials were made to EU (27) countries and decreased by 5% compared to 2021 and amounted to 5.6 billion US dollars. The second country group to which Turkey exported the most textile and raw materials was African countries. Exports to African countries increased by 7% in this period and reached 1.4 billion US dollars.

Most Textile Exports Were Realized to Italy

In 2022, when the prominent countries in Turkey’s textile and raw materials exports were evaluated; it is observed that the most important export market was Italy. In this period, textile and raw materials exports to Italy increased by 0.6% and amounted to 1.1 billion US dollars. Exports of textile and raw materials to Germany, which ranked second, decreased by 4.7% to 987 million US dollars. Germany was followed by the USA, which exported 866 million US dollars.

Woven Fabrics was the Most Exported Textile Product in Turkey in 2022

In 2022, when the exports of Turkey’s textile and raw materials sector are analyzed on the basis of product groups, it is seen that the most important product group was woven fabric with an increase of 9.1%. In the 2.5 billion dollar woven fabric exports, the most important sub-product group was woven fabric exports from synthetic-synthetic filament yarns with a share of 38% and an export value of 979 million US dollars. While 38.3% of Turkey’s woven fabric exports were realized to EU countries, exports to these countries increased by 0.6% in 2022 to 987 million US dollars.

2.5 Billion US US dollars of Yarn Exports

In the same period, yarn, the second product group with the highest exports, decreased by 4.6%, while exports amounted to 2.5 billion US dollars. The most important sub-product group was yarns from synthetic-artificial filament fibers with an export value of 906 million US dollars. The share of this product group in total yarn exports was 35.8%. Exports of the cotton yarn product group, which is the second largest sub-product group with a share of 31.3% in total yarn exports, decreased by 11.4% in 2022 and amounted to 793 million US dollars. The countries with the highest yarn exports are as follows: Italy, USA, UK and Portugal.

Increase in Technical Textile Exports

Exports of technical textiles, the third most important product group, increased by 0.8% in 2022 and reached 2.4 billion US dollars. Non-woven textile product group accounted for 32.5% of total exports.  Non-woven textile exports increased by 2.4% to 767 million US dollars.  The second most important product group in technical textile exports was bags and sacks for packaging produced from technical textiles with an export value of 389 million US dollars. The third ranking was glass fiber with a share of 6.5% in total technical textile exports. Turkey’s exports of the related product group increased by 13.1% in 2022 and amounted to 154 million US dollars. The top three countries in Turkey’s technical textile exports were Germany with 194 million US dollars, the USA with 174 million US dollars and Italy with 158 million US dollars, respectively.

Knitted Fabric Exports Decreased in 2022

In 2022, knitted fabric exports decreased by 4.6% to 2 billion US dollars. The most important sub-product group was other knitted fabrics with an export value of 1.3 billion US dollars. The second sub-product group was knitted fabrics containing elastomeric or rubber yarns with a share of 27.3% of total exports. In 2022, the most knitted fabric exports were realized to Italy with 245 million US dollars.

Fiber Exports Increased by 13.4

In 2022, the most important sub-product group in fiber exports, which increased by 13.4% to 1.2 billion US dollars, was synthetic-synthetic fibers with a share of 59%. In this period, synthetic-artificial fiber exports increased by 14.1% to 689 million US dollars. In 2022, the second most exported sub-product group in fiber exports was cotton fibers with a share of 39.3%. In 2022, the highest exports were made to Iran with 169 million US dollars. Fiber exports to Iran increased by 49.8% compared to 2021. Other important countries that stood out in fiber exports were Pakistan, Germany and Italy.

Turkey Sold the Most Home Textile Products to Germany

In the same period, home textile exports decreased by 4.8% to 2.2 billion US dollars. When home textile exports in 2022 were analyzed on the basis of sub-product groups, it was seen that the most important product group was towels and cleaning cloths with a share of 31.8%. Turkey’s exports of towels and cleaning cloths decreased by 4.1% in this period and amounted to 701 million US dollars. In 2022, home textile exports to Germany, the most important country in home textile exports, decreased by 7.4% to 426 million US dollars.

Turkey Exported 295 Million Dollar Worth of Denim Products

In 2022, Turkey’s denim fabric exports decreased by 3.1% to 295 million US dollars. The most important country in denim fabric exports was Tunisia with 72 million US dollars worth of exports and 24.5% share. Egypt ranked 2nd with 14.4% share and 43 million US dollars worth of exports, Morocco ranked 3rd with 10.4% share and 31 million US dollars worth of exports.