Turkey’s imports of consumer goods rose sharply in 2025, highlighting the unintended consequences of an extended low exchange rate policy aimed at curbing inflation.
Consumer goods imports increased by 8.8% year on year to $59.2 billion, lifting their share of total imports to a record 16.2%, according to data compiled from Turkey’s Trade Ministry and TurkStat. The gap between consumer goods and capital goods imports narrowed to about $4.3 billion, as demand for imported consumption outpaced investment related purchases.
Turkey’s overall imports rose by 6.5% to $365.5 billion in 2025, while exports grew by 4.3% to $261.9 billion, data showed. Economists say the policy of keeping the lira relatively stable for more than two years has eroded exporters’ price competitiveness while encouraging imports, raising concerns Turkey could become increasingly dependent on foreign consumption goods.
Imports of capital goods rose by 8.4% to $54.9 billion, while intermediate goods imports increased by 5% to $250.2 billion.
By sector, imports of automotive and auto parts surged 16.4% to $36.8 billion, while electronics imports climbed 10.1% to $29.9 billion. Jewellery imports rose 13% to $28.1 billion, while imports of petroleum and petroleum products fell 4.6% to $62.6 billion.
Looking at manufacturing imports by technology intensity, high technology products recorded the strongest growth, rising 14.2% to $35.4 billion in 2025. Imports of medium high technology products rose 7.8% to $132.3 billion, while low technology product imports fell 3.2% to $36.7 billion.
