Imports augment by 7.9% compared to the previous year in June
Turkey's Trade Balance Shows Widening Deficit in June 2025
According to data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) on July 31, 2025, Turkey's trade balance continues to show a significant deficit. In June 2025, Turkey's exports increased by 7.9% year-on-year to reach $20.51 billion, while imports grew faster by 15.2% to $28.68 billion.
This resulted in a monthly trade deficit of $8.17 billion, which is about $2.3 billion higher than June 2024 and marks a 38.8% increase in the monthly deficit compared to the previous year.
For the first half of 2025, Turkey's exports totaled $131.4 billion, up 4.1% compared to the same period in 2024, while imports rose 7.2% to $180.84 billion. Consequently, the six-month trade deficit reached $49.4 billion, a 16.3% increase year-on-year.
When excluding energy products and non-monetary gold, which can distort core trade figures, June exports were $18.96 billion (up 8.1%) and imports were $22.54 billion (up 16.9%), leaving a deficit of $3.59 billion. This shows that structural trade imbalances persist beyond energy trade.
The top export destinations in June were Germany ($1.73 billion), the UK ($1.26 billion), and the US ($1.20 billion). Major import sources were China ($3.83 billion), Russia ($3.31 billion), and Germany ($2.7 billion).
The export-to-import coverage ratio declined to 71.5% in June 2025 (from 76.4% in June 2024) and for the half-year dropped to 72.7% from 74.8%, indicating exports cover a smaller portion of import costs.
In summary, Turkey’s trade balance in 2025 shows widening deficits driven by faster import growth relative to exports, with persistent structural factors influencing the trade gap even excluding energy and gold products. The TÜİK will continue to monitor these trends and release updates as more data becomes available.
\n\n [1] Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) - Foreign Trade Statistics, June 2025. [2] Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) - Foreign Trade Statistics, Half-Year 2025. [3] Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) - Export and Import Statistics, June 2025 (excluding energy and non-monetary gold).
The continuing trade deficit in Turkey, as reported by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) in July 2025, raises concerns within the industry. The widening deficit, in part, could be attributed to the faster growth in imports, particularly in June 2025, impacting the country's overall finance situation.
