Turkey's merchandise exports reached $25.976 billion in September 2026, 15.4% above the same month a year earlier, the Ministry of Trade reported on 12 October. Exports for January–September rose 5.2% to $211 billion, while the rolling 12-month total reached $283.7 billion. The figures strengthen the export-growth signal, but an international investor should look past the national headline: production is highly concentrated by province and product.
Istanbul and Kocaeli accounted for 36.5% of September exports
Istanbul led with $5.736 billion and Kocaeli followed with $3.733 billion. İzmir exported $1.972 billion, Bursa $1.859 billion and Tekirdağ $1.418 billion. Together, those five provinces supplied about 56.7% of the national total. This points to deep industrial and logistics clusters, but it does not measure local profit, foreign investment or the number of exporters behind each total.
Mersin grew fastest among the top ten
Compared with September 2025, Mersin's exports increased 40.8% to $1.073 billion. Ankara rose 30.2%, Istanbul 27.3%, Kocaeli 25.6% and Tekirdağ 19.2%. Sakarya fell 14.4% and Manisa 2.3%, showing why a strong national number cannot be applied evenly to every manufacturing centre. Large shipments and product cycles can also move a single month sharply.
The leading provinces depend on different products
Precious and semi-precious stones were Istanbul's largest export chapter at $1.442 billion. Vehicles led Kocaeli at $1.471 billion, while mineral fuels and oils were İzmir's largest chapter at $334 million. A sourcing or location decision therefore needs the province's sector mix, supplier depth, customs classification and transport links—not only its rank in the national table.
Germany remains a key destination in the industrial belt
Germany ranked among the top three destinations for Istanbul, Kocaeli and İzmir. Istanbul's largest destination was Switzerland, Kocaeli's was the United Kingdom and İzmir's was Germany. For European companies, that pattern signals established trade routes and standards experience, but it is not evidence that every supplier has the required certification, capacity or delivery reliability.
What to verify before treating the data as an investment signal
Check at least several months of product-level data, the number and size of exporters, import dependence, energy and labour costs, port or rail access and contract currency. The ministry says exports rose in 54 provinces during January–September and 28 provinces exceeded $1 billion. That breadth is encouraging; the defensible conclusion is still that the bulletin is a screening tool, not a forecast of profit, the lira or property demand.
Turkish Ministry of Trade — Export Data Bulletin by Province of Activity, September 2026 →