Aegean Region's 9-Month Exports Reached 33.1 Billion Dollars

The Aegean Region's exports rose by 3.4 percent in the January-September period of 2026 compared to the same period last year, increasing from 32 billion 24 million dollars to 33 billion 132 million dollars. The region increased its exports by 1 billion 110 million dollars in the nine-month period. In September, exports reached 3 billion 949 million dollars with a 15.5 percent increase, setting a Republic-era record on a monthly basis. Denizli and Balıkesir stood out with their export increases in the first nine months of the year.

According to the Ministry of Trade's Export Statistics by Operating Province, seven provinces in the Aegean Region, excluding Manisa and Afyonkarahisar, managed to increase their exports in the January-September period of 2026.

Muhammet Öztürk: "We Broke the Republic Record in September"

Aegean Exporters' Associations Coordinator Chairman Muhammet Öztürk stated that the region's export performance rose significantly in September. Recalling that the Aegean Region achieved 3 billion 418 million dollars in exports in September 2025, Öztürk noted that exports of 3 billion 949 million dollars were made in the same month of 2026, marking a 15.5 percent increase.

Öztürk said, "September exports went down in the records as the Aegean Region's Republic-era record on a monthly basis. Our next target is to exceed the 4 billion dollar threshold on a monthly basis. September data has increased our hopes for the last quarter of 2026."

İzmir Ranks First, Balıkesir Stands Out in Export Growth

İzmir, the Aegean Region's export leader, achieved exports worth 17 billion 613 million dollars in the January-September period. İzmir maintained its position as third nationwide across Türkiye.

Balıkesir increased its exports by 18.4 percent, rising from 1 billion 854 million dollars to 2 billion 195 million dollars, becoming the province that increased its exports the most in the region during the nine-month period.

Manisa continued to be the region's second-largest exporting province with exports of 5 billion 159 million dollars. Denizli increased its exports by 14.7 percent to 3 billion 869 million dollars, becoming the region's third-largest exporting province.

Nine-Month Export Performance of Aegean Region Provinces

According to data shared by Aegean Exporters' Associations Coordinator Chairman Muhammet Öztürk, the export performance of other provinces also increased. Aydın's exports rose by 4.6 percent to 1 billion 466 million dollars, while Muğla's exports increased by 13.8 percent to 1 billion 157 million dollars. Kütahya achieved exports of 776 million dollars with a 7.3 percent increase, while Uşak achieved 345 million dollars with a 12.2 percent increase.

Afyonkarahisar's exports, on the other hand, declined by 18.4 percent to 551 million dollars in the first nine months.

Öztürk: "The Mistake in Foreign Exchange Conversion Support Must Be Reversed"

Noting that Turkish exporters are going through a challenging process due to high interest rates, high inflation, and a low exchange rate, Muhammet Öztürk drew attention to the fact that geopolitical risks and increases in oil prices have raised costs.

Öztürk stated that although an increase was seen in export revenues, the same development was not experienced in terms of volume, and that this pointed to a slowdown in production activities, adding that the current picture should not create misleading optimism.

Recalling that the Istanbul Chamber of Industry (İSO) Türkiye Export Climate Index rose to 53.2 in September, Öztürk stated that this level marked the highest value in the last 52 months. Noting that the index showed improvement in demand conditions in export markets for the fifth consecutive month, Öztürk reported that production increases were observed in nine of the Turkish manufacturing industry's 10 largest export markets.

Emphasizing that if exporters are supported, the increase in global demand in 2027 could be turned into an opportunity, Öztürk made the following assessment regarding the current implementation of foreign exchange conversion support:

"As exporters, while we were expecting the foreign exchange conversion support, applied at 3 percent, to increase, the support amount has declined to around 1 percent for most of our exporters. We expect this mistake to be reversed quickly."

Export Growth Accelerated in September

September data revealed that the export increase in the Aegean Region accelerated. Balıkesir's exports rose by 69.5 percent compared to the same month last year, reaching 332 million dollars. Thus, Balıkesir became the province that increased its exports the most in September.

Denizli's exports rose by 31.8 percent to 499 million dollars, while Afyonkarahisar's September exports also increased by 26.2 percent.

In the same period, Kütahya's exports increased by 14.9 percent, Muğla's by 14.6 percent, İzmir's by 13.1 percent, Aydın's by 10 percent, and Uşak's by 7 percent. Manisa, on the other hand, achieved exports of 635 million dollars in September with a 2.3 percent decline.