Türkiye has registered its second-highest April exports on record, Trade Minister Ömer Bolat said on Friday, but imports still outpaced growth in outbound shipments.
Exports rose 8.5% last month compared to a year ago to $20.9 billion, Bolat told a press conference in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır.
Imports climbed 12.9% to nearly $33 billion. The trade deficit widened 21.7% year-over-year to $12 billion.
The euro's gains against the U.S. dollar since U.S. President Donald Trump introduced new 10% baseline tariffs on all economies and slapped duties totalling 20% on the European Union had a positive effect on Turkish exports amounting to $440 million, Bolat also said.
From January through April, exports rose 3.9% year-over-year to $86.23 billion, the data showed. Imports jumped 6.7% to $120.77 billion.
The trade gap increased by 14.5% from a year ago to $34.53 billion.
Annualized exports of hit a new all-time high of $265 billion as of April, Bolat said.
The 12-month annualized exports climbed 2.7% or $7.1 billion on a yearly basis.
Imports in the last 12 months rose 0.2% to $351.6 billion, resulting in an trade gap of $86.6 billion, down 6.8% or $6.4 billion from the previous period.
In 2024, total shipments increased by 2.5% to $262 billion, a new annual record, despite challenges such as an uncertain global outlook and slowing demand in some of Türkiye's key export markets like the European Union.
Imports dropped by 4.9% to $344.1 billion. The trade deficit shrank by 22.7% to $82.2 billion from $106.3 billion in 2023.
The goal for 2025 is to lift exports to $280 billion, according to officials.
