The Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) announced on Tuesday that Türkiye’s overall export unit value index rose by 3.8% in August 2025 compared to the same month of the previous year, while the export volume index declined by 4.8% during the same period.

According to TurkStat’s latest “Foreign Trade Indices” report, the increase in export unit value was driven primarily by food, beverages, and tobacco, which rose 8.9%, followed by crude materials (excluding fuels) with a 5.1% increase, and manufactured goods (excluding food, beverages, and tobacco), which went up 3.3%. In contrast, fuel exports saw a 3.8% decrease in value.

While the value index rose, Türkiye’s export volume index dropped 4.8% year-on-year in August. The decline was most significant in food, beverages, and tobacco exports, which plunged 13.7%. Volumes of crude materials (excluding fuels) and fuels also fell by 5.8% and 1.8%, respectively, while manufactured goods recorded a modest 1.4% decrease.

The calendar and seasonally adjusted export volume index stood at 152.9 in August, down 2.8% from 157.4 in July 2025. Compared with the same month last year, the calendar-adjusted export volume index declined 0.9%, from 147.5 to 146.1.

On the import side, the overall import unit value index increased slightly by 0.5% in August compared to a year earlier. The breakdown shows an increase of 10.3% for food, beverages, and tobacco, while fuel imports dropped 9.4%, crude materials (excluding fuels) declined 7.7%, and manufactured goods rose 1.6%.

However, the import volume index decreased 4.5% compared to August 2024. Food, beverages, and tobacco imports fell sharply by 17.6%, crude materials by 10.8%, and manufactured goods by 1.5%, while fuels registered a slight 0.5% increase.

The calendar and seasonally adjusted import volume index dropped by 7.2%, from 122.7 in July 2025 to 113.8 in August. Year-on-year, the calendar-adjusted index decreased 4.5%, from 114.7 to 109.6.

Türkiye’s terms of trade — the ratio of the export unit value index to the import unit value index, multiplied by 100 — improved notably in August 2025. The figure rose from 88.5 in August 2024 to 91.3, reflecting a 2.8-point increase.

This improvement indicates that Türkiye received more value for its exports relative to imports, suggesting a slight easing in external trade conditions despite lower trade volumes.

TurkStat’s data shows that while Türkiye’s export prices remain resilient, declining trade volumes reflect the impact of global demand fluctuations and weaker commodity trade, particularly in food and raw materials. (ILKHA)