While micro enterprises made up nearly three-quarters of all exporters, large-scale companies generated almost half of the country's total exports and nearly 60% of its imports in 2025, official data showed.

A total of 166,459 enterprises exported goods, while 323,769 enterprises imported goods in Türkiye in 2025, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), the country's official agency responsible for producing and publishing national statistics.

The data, compiled by matching foreign trade records with the Business Register System based on enterprises' main economic activities and number of employees, provide a detailed breakdown of Türkiye's foreign trade by enterprise size.

According to the figures, information was available for nearly all exporting enterprises and for 99.9% of importing enterprises.

Large enterprises dominate foreign trade

Micro enterprises employing between one and nine people accounted for 74.2% of all exporting companies. However, they generated only 18.3% of Türkiye's total exports.

Small-sized enterprises with 10–49 employees contributed 17.3% of exports, while medium-sized enterprises employing 50–249 people accounted for 18.3%. Large enterprises with 250 or more employees generated the largest share, accounting for 46.1% of total exports.

Imports were even more concentrated among large companies. Micro enterprises accounted for 10.7% of imports, small enterprises for 11.9%, and medium-sized enterprises for 18%. Large enterprises, although representing only 1.1% of all importing firms, were responsible for 59.4% of Türkiye's total imports.

Industry led exports

Enterprises operating in the industrial sector generated 57.6% of Türkiye's exports in 2025, while businesses in the trade sector accounted for 37.7%.

On the import side, industrial enterprises represented 45.4% of total imports, followed by trade sector companies with 37.8%.

Large enterprises dominated industrial exports, accounting for 70.3% of the sector's total exports. In contrast, small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 250 employees generated 89% of exports in the trade sector.

Large enterprises also played the leading role in industrial imports, contributing 80.7% of the sector's total.

EU remained the largest export destination

Industrial enterprises shipped 49.2% of their exports to European Union countries. Non-EU European countries accounted for 14.3% of industrial exports, while the Near and Middle East received 10.9%.

For industrial imports, the EU was also the largest source with a 35.3% share, followed by other Asian countries with 25.9% and non-EU European countries with 15.9%.

Manufacturing exports concentrated among industrial firms

Industrial enterprises accounted for 59.5% of manufacturing exports, while trade sector companies contributed 36.3%.

Manufactured goods represented 97.6% of exports by industrial enterprises. Mining and quarrying products accounted for 1%, while agricultural, forestry and fishery products made up 0.8%.

Top exporters accounted for more than half of exports

The data also highlighted the concentration of Türkiye's foreign trade among a relatively small number of companies.

The top 500 exporting enterprises generated 51% of the country's total exports, while the top 500 importers accounted for 64.8% of total imports.

The five largest exporters represented 8.9% of total exports, whereas the five largest importers accounted for 13.8% of total imports.

Among exporting enterprises, 39% sold goods to only one country, while just 3.2% exported to 20 or more countries. Despite their small number, these globally active firms accounted for 57.4% of Türkiye's exports.

On the import side, 84.6% of enterprises imported goods from only one country. Only 0.8% sourced products from 20 or more countries, but these enterprises accounted for 52.5% of the country's total imports. (ILKHA)