Southeastern Türkiye, still reeling from catastrophic earthquakes two years ago, has regained economic momentum as rebuilding advances and new sites rise across the tremor-affected provinces that underwent a difficult transformation.
The powerful quakes in the early hours of Feb. 6, 2023, wreaked havoc, leaving more than 53,000 people dead and 107,000 injured across 11 provinces. The disaster razed hundreds of thousands of homes and left nearly 2 million people homeless.
Ever since, countless tons of rubble have been removed, and wide expanses have been cleared for construction in the region that is now a vast, sprawling building site as the nation rushes to rebuild and deliver safer homes.
By Jan. 26, the Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry said it had handed over 201,580 homes and businesses across the quake zone, promising a total of 453,000 by the year's end.
Adana, Adıyaman, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye and Şanlıurfa were known as rich in textile production and agriculture. They accounted for 16% of total employment and around 11% of industrial production, according to the Istanbul Chamber of Industry.
The region accounted for about 9.3% of the national gross domestic product (GDP) and 8.5% of Türkiye’s exports.
The outbound shipments in most of the 11 provinces recovered in 2024 and collectively rose by 6% on an annual basis to $19.21 billion, according to the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM) data.
That compared to $20.51 billion in 2022 before the disaster caused shipments to fall to $18.14 billion a year later. Seven of the provinces managed to increase their exports last year, while there was a decline in the rest.
Fikret Kileci, the coordinating chair of the Southeastern Anatolia Exporters Association (GAIB), said overall exports failed to reach the pre-quake levels, in part due to the global economic downturn.
The real return to normal would be in 2026 and beyond, Kileci said. “2025 may be slightly better, but gradual improvements will follow from this year onward,” he added.
Gaziantep led the way last year with $10 billion in exports, still 0.4% lower compared to 2023 and below $10.5 billion in 2022. It was followed by Hatay with almost $3.48 billion, a nearly 35% increase from the year earlier and just slightly lower from $3.56 billion before the disaster.
Shipments from Adana reached $3.1 billion, while exports from Kahramanmaraş stood at $1.3 billion.
The remaining provinces’ export figures were: Malatya $436.3 million, Şanlıurfa $327.2 million, Elazığ $272.3 million, Diyarbakır $245.3 million, Osmaniye $129.4 million, Kilis $96.5 million and Adıyaman $64.5 million.
Adana and Şanlıurfa managed to surpass their pre-earthquake levels. Adana’s exports rose from $3 billion in 2022. The latter’s increased from $257.3 million.
Kileci identified Kahramanmaraş, Malatya and Hatay as the primary centers affected by the earthquakes in terms of production. He noted that the sharp decline was avoided since these provinces did not constitute the main weight in the region's exports.
He also stated that the production facilities in the leading export cities did not suffer significant damage, except for severe damage to both housing and factories in Kahramanmaraş.
Top exports in 2024 were grains, pulses, oil seeds and related products, with $3.7 billion, according to the data. Textile and raw materials followed with $2.8 billion, steel with $2.5 billion, and chemicals and chemical products with $2.1 billion.
Kileci emphasized Türkiye’s potential to stand out with green and sustainable production in the near future. He also mentioned that establishing peace in Syria could provide significant advantages for regional trade, particularly benefiting Gaziantep.
He highlighted that the most significant adverse effect on the economy was the migration of the workforce from the region.
“People suffered greatly, and the major blow to production was the departure of the working people. This region has a lot of product diversity. The production areas of Gaziantep, the locomotive of the region, did not suffer much damage,” Kileci noted.
Kileci stressed that the region has a structure that he says would never fall behind, and investment in human capital and the development of guiding minds are essential for the future.
