Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
Turkey is the 6th largest textile exporter in the world
The Turkish textile industry exported $12.9 billion worth of goods in 2021
Around 20% of Turkey’s total exports are from the textile and apparel sector
Turkey provides 3.3% of global textile exports
The Turkish textile industry employs approximately 1 million people
Istanbul region accounts for over 40% of textile production in Turkey
Turkey is the 2nd largest supplier of textiles and clothing to the European Union
Turkish textile exports to the EU totaled $10.4 billion in 2021
Over 70% of Turkish textile production is exported
The woven fabric sector constitutes 40% of the total textile exports of Turkey
Turkey is the 4th largest denim fabric manufacturer in the world
The Turkish apparel industry exported over $18 billion in 2021
75% of Turkish textile businesses are SMEs
Employment and Workforce
- The Turkish textile industry employs approximately 1 million people
- The median age of textile industry workers in Turkey is 33.2 years
- Around 52% of Turkish textile workers are women
- The average salary in Turkey’s textile manufacturing sector is TRY 8,250 per month
- The weaving industry in Turkey employs over 200,000 people
- Over 2,000 textile and apparel trade unions are active in Turkey
Interpretation
Powered by a youthful, predominantly female workforce of one million and stitched together by thousands of trade unions, Turkey’s textile industry weaves not just fabric but the economic fabric of the nation—one thread at TRY 8,250 a month.
Export Performance
- Turkey is the 6th largest textile exporter in the world
- The Turkish textile industry exported $12.9 billion worth of goods in 2021
- Around 20% of Turkey’s total exports are from the textile and apparel sector
- Turkey is the 2nd largest supplier of textiles and clothing to the European Union
- Turkish textile exports to the EU totaled $10.4 billion in 2021
- Over 70% of Turkish textile production is exported
- The Turkish apparel industry exported over $18 billion in 2021
- Turkey’s home textile exports reached $3.2 billion in 2021
- Turkey’s textile exports to the U.S. increased by 33.5% in 2021
- Turkey's primary textile export destinations are Germany, the UK, Spain, and Italy
- Turkish textile exports to Germany reached $1.8 billion in 2021
- Turkey is among top 5 exporters of synthetic filament fabrics globally
- Technical textile exports from Turkey reached $2.1 billion in 2021
- Turkey is the 3rd largest exporter of hosiery products globally
- More than 160 countries import textiles from Turkey
- Textile exports from Turkey increased by 15.7% year-on-year in 2021
- Machine-made carpet exports from Turkey total over $1.5 billion annually
- Denim exports from Turkey reached $420 million in 2021
- 60% of Turkey’s knitted fabric exports go to EU countries
- Turkish exports of nonwoven textiles increased by 20% in 2021
- Turkey aims to reach $20 billion in textile exports by 2025
- Turkish apparel brands contributed $6 billion to exports directly in 2021
- Turkish baby wear exports rose 18.3% in 2021
- Turkey exports 1.2 million tons of textile raw materials annually
- Turkish apparel and textile exports combined exceeded $31 billion in 2021
- Turkish textile exports to Russia totaled $325 million in 2021
- Apparel exports from Turkey to the USA rose 24% in 2021
Interpretation
Threaded through with ambition and stitched into global markets, Turkey’s textile industry isn't just hemming clothes—it's tailoring an economic powerhouse that’s dressing the world one billion-dollar export at a time.
Global Market Share
- Turkey provides 3.3% of global textile exports
- Turkey is the 4th largest denim fabric manufacturer in the world
- Turkey accounts for 6% of global home textile exports
- Turkey is the 5th largest supplier of towels and bathrobes globally
Interpretation
Woven into the global fabric of fashion and function, Turkey punches well above its weight—denim-draped, towel-touting, and home-textile-touting its way to the top tiers of the world’s textile trade.
Sector-Specific Insights
- Istanbul region accounts for over 40% of textile production in Turkey
- The woven fabric sector constitutes 40% of the total textile exports of Turkey
- 75% of Turkish textile businesses are SMEs
- Technical textiles represent 10% of Turkey's total textile export volume
- Turkish organic cotton production ranks 3rd globally
- Turkey processes over 400,000 tons of cotton annually
- The textile sector represents 16% of Turkey’s industrial production
- Over 10,000 textile-manufacturing companies operate in Turkey
- The average capacity utilization rate in the textile industry was 75% in 2022
- Turkish textile factories mainly operate in Istanbul, Bursa, Gaziantep, Denizli, and Izmir
- Turkish cotton imports stood at 800,000 tons in 2021
- The Turkish government provides VAT exemptions and customs duty incentives for textile machinery imports
- The textile industry constitutes around $28 billion of Turkey’s GDP
- The Turkish textile industry consumes approximately 10 billion kWh of electricity annually
- More than 50 Turkish universities offer textile engineering programs
- The Turkish textile sector received $1.02 billion in foreign direct investment in 2021
- Turkey manufactures 2.8 million tons of textile fibers annually
- 95% of Turkish textile firms participate in sustainability or CSR programs
- Over 200 Turkish textile companies are certified under OEKO-TEX standards
- Approximately 65% of textile firms are located in organized industrial zones
- Turkish textile machinery imports reached $1.7 billion in 2021
- Turkey’s spinning capacity exceeds 6 million spindles
- The Turkish textile industry’s carbon emissions are estimated at 12 million tons CO₂ per year
- Turkey’s textile sector waste recycling rate is approximately 36%
- Turkish textile sector uses 1.3 billion cubic meters of water annually
- More than 4,000 Turkish textile brands participate in global trade fairs
- Turkey produces 100,000 tons of wool fiber annually
- 45% of Turkish textile sector exports are intermediary goods
- 14% of Turkey’s textile exports are knitwear products
- Textile industry investment incentives totaled TRY 3.2 billion in 2021
- Turkish synthetic fiber production was 490,000 tons in 2021
- Textile waste in Turkey amounts to 1.1 million tons annually
- Turkey’s digital textile printing market is valued at $350 million
- The Turkish fast fashion sector grew at a CAGR of 8% between 2017-2021
- Over 60% of textile companies in Turkey have ISO 9001 certification
- The Turkish military sources 90% of its uniforms from the domestic textile sector
Interpretation
Threaded through with tradition, powered by 400,000 tons of cotton and 10 billion kilowatt-hours, and spun across Istanbul to Izmir by an army of SMEs and engineers, Turkey's textile industry is a $28 billion behemoth where sustainability, scale, and style seamlessly stitch together to dress both local soldiers and global fashion weeks.
Technological Advancement and Innovation
- The Turkish government plans to increase textile R&D spending by 15% by 2025
- Turkey’s textile R&D centers number more than 80
- Digital printing technology is used by over 70% of textile companies in western Turkey
- More than 30,000 textile patents have been filed in Turkey since 2000
Interpretation
Turkey’s textile industry is weaving innovation into its very fabric, with a high-tech loom of 80+ R&D centers, 30,000 patents, and a 15% R&D budget boost threading the needle toward a digitally printed future.