In 2018, Turkey’s textile exports increased seven per cent compared to the previous year. There are approximately one million people employed in the country’s textile and readymade clothing sectors. This number reaches two million if sectors such as retail and merchandising are included.

The Turkish textile sector has a strong image in the global market. The sector stands out with its state-of-the-art technology, flexible production ability, capability of producing special products and high-quality workforce. It is the biggest textile manufacturer in Europe. It continues to make significant breakthroughs not only in design and fashion but also in technical textiles.

Turkey is the seventh biggest cotton producer in the world. It has the biggest machinery park in the world. The biggest factory manufacturing quilt covers is in Turkey. The country is one of the top three towel suppliers in the world. The share of Turkey in global textile exports stands at three per cent, at 4.5 per cent in home and interior textiles and 1.5 per cent in technical textiles.

The Turkish textile sector has a very high potential especially in terms of value added production. The Turkish textile and readymade clothing sector as a whole has the highest foreign trade surplus. The sector ranks first in the country in terms of share in the gross domestic product and in terms of parameters such as domestic input use.