The Turkish capital, Ankara, has witnessed a remarkable performance in exports in the first seven months of 2026 as they surged by nearly a quarter compared to the same period a year earlier to a new record, according to a report on Tuesday.

Ankara's exports surged 23.4% year-over-year to a record high of $10.81 billion (TL 514.07 billion), marking the capital's strongest January-July export performance on record.

According to an Anadolu Agency (AA) compilation of Trade Ministry data, Türkiye's total exports rose 3.4% on a yearly basis to $161.6 billion in the same period.

When looking at the exports from the capital, a notable increase is observed from 2023 to the present.

The overseas shipments, which stood at $6.88 billion in January through July 2023, climbed to $7.59 billion in the same period of 2024 and $8.77 billion in January through July 2025, trade data shows.

U.S. top export destination in 2026

Moreover, a breakdown of Ankara's exports by destination showed that the U.S. was the top export market in the January-July period, with shipments totaling $865.7 million.

It was followed by Slovakia with $786.7 million, Ukraine with $736.8 million, the U.K. with $725.3 million, and China with $704.9 million, respectively.

Among Ankara's exports in the first seven months of the year, the electrical and electronics sector ranked first with $1.25 billion.

It was followed by the automotive industry, which shipped goods worth $1.17 billion, chemicals and chemical products with $1.06 billion, and machinery and components with $1.04 billion.

The sector posting the strongest percentage growth in exports during the January-July period was ornamental plants and related products, soaring 487.2% year-over-year.

It was followed by hazelnuts and hazelnut products with 92.4% growth, electrical and electronics with 73.8%, and cement, glass, ceramics and soil products with 35.3%.