Turkey’s apparel industry is a jobs-and-trade engine, balancing employment, wages, and production scale with export performance. In 2023, the sector employed 2.1 million people, including women who made up 65% (1.37 million) of apparel manufacturing’s workforce in 2022. Export-focused apparel firms also generated 550,000 direct jobs in 2023, while the average monthly wage was 12,500 TRY in 2024.
Key Takeaways
- Apparel sector employed 2.1 million people in Turkey in 2023.
- Female workforce in apparel manufacturing constitutes 65% or 1.37 million in 2022.
- Average monthly wage in apparel industry is 12,500 TRY in 2024.
- Turkey's apparel exports totaled $18.5 billion in 2023.
- EU countries received 45% of Turkey's apparel exports worth $8.3 billion in 2022.
- Jeans exports from Turkey amounted to $2.1 billion in 2023.
- Market size of Turkey's apparel industry valued at $35 billion in 2023.
- Domestic apparel sales reached $16.7 billion in 2022.
- FDI in apparel sector totaled $1.2 billion from 2018-2023.
- Turkey's apparel industry produced 1.2 billion pieces of garments in 2022, marking a 5% increase from the previous year.
- Denim fabric production in Turkey reached 250 million meters in 2023, leading Europe in jeans manufacturing.
- Turkey has over 15,000 apparel manufacturing facilities as of 2024.
- 75% of apparel firms adopted sustainable practices by 2023.
- Organic cotton usage in apparel increased 30% to 50,000 tons in 2022.
- Digitalization rate in factories reached 60% with Industry 4.0 tech in 2023.
Turkey’s apparel sector employs 2.1 million and exports $18.5 billion, while boosting sustainable and digital production.
Related reading
01 · Category
Employment And Labor Market21 stats
01
Apparel sector employed 2.1 million people in Turkey in 2023.
02
Female workforce in apparel manufacturing constitutes 65% or 1.37 million in 2022.
03
Average monthly wage in apparel industry is 12,500 TRY in 2024.
04
550,000 direct jobs in export-oriented apparel firms in 2023.
05
Youth employment in textiles and apparel reached 15% or 315,000 in 2022.
06
Training programs covered 120,000 apparel workers in 2023.
07
Labor productivity in apparel rose 8% to $25,000 per worker in 2023.
08
Informal employment in apparel sector is 25% or 525,000 workers in 2022.
09
SMEs employ 85% of apparel workforce, totaling 1.8 million in 2023.
10
Overtime hours average 12 per week in apparel factories in 2024.
11
Total apparel employment including indirect jobs 4.5 million in 2023.
12
Vocational training graduates in apparel 50,000 annually.
13
Unionization rate in apparel sector 35% in 2022.
14
Migrant workers 10% of workforce or 210,000 in 2023.
15
Shift workers average 45 hours/week in 2024.
16
Skill gap filled by 80,000 apprentices in 2023.
17
Turnover rate 18% in apparel industry 2022.
18
Remote work adoption 15% post-COVID in 2023.
19
Gender pay gap 22% in apparel sector 2023.
20
Hourly wage minimum 85 TRY in apparel 2024.
21
Safety training reached 200,000 workers 2023.
Interpretation
Employment And Labor Market Interpretation
In Turkey’s apparel employment and labor market, work is both large in scale and increasingly youth and women focused, with 2.1 million people employed in 2023 and women making up 65% or 1.37 million of the workforce in 2022 alongside youth employment reaching 15% or 315,000 in 2022.
02 · Category
Export And Trade Statistics25 stats
01
Turkey's apparel exports totaled $18.5 billion in 2023.
02
EU countries received 45% of Turkey's apparel exports worth $8.3 billion in 2022.
03
Jeans exports from Turkey amounted to $2.1 billion in 2023.
04
Apparel imports into Turkey were $4.2 billion in 2022.
05
US market share of Turkish apparel exports was 12% valued at $2.2 billion in 2023.
06
Knitwear exports reached $6.8 billion in 2022.
07
Turkey's apparel trade surplus stood at $14.3 billion in 2023.
08
Russia imported $1.5 billion in Turkish apparel in 2023.
09
Woven garments exports totaled $7.9 billion in 2022.
10
Middle East apparel exports from Turkey hit $1.8 billion in 2023.
11
Apparel exports to Germany were $2.4 billion in 2023.
12
UK imports from Turkey apparel $1.9 billion in 2022.
13
Footwear-apparel combo exports $3.2 billion in 2023.
14
China-Turkey apparel trade deficit $1.1 billion in 2022.
15
Apparel export growth rate 12% YoY in 2023.
16
Poland as top Eastern Europe market $800 million in 2023.
17
Netherlands handled $1.2 billion Turkish apparel in 2022.
18
Spain imported $1.6 billion apparel from Turkey 2023.
19
Italy-Turkey apparel exchange $2.5 billion in 2022.
20
Apparel exports to France $1.7 billion in 2023.
21
Belgium imports $900 million Turkish clothes 2022.
22
Romania market $700 million in 2023.
23
45% of Turkey’s apparel exports went to the EU in 2023, measured as the EU share of destination shipments.
24
12% of Turkey’s apparel exports went to the US in 2023, measured as the US share of destination shipments.
25
Russia accounted for 8% of Turkey’s apparel exports in 2023, measured as the Russia share of destination shipments.
Interpretation
Export And Trade Statistics Interpretation
In export and trade statistics for Turkey’s apparel sector, 2023 exports reached $18.5 billion and the EU still took 45% of shipments at $8.3 billion in 2022, showing how strongly Turkey’s trade is anchored in its largest regional market.
report visual · Comparison
Turkey apparel export destination split (2023)
In 2023, the EU was the dominant destination for Turkey’s apparel exports (45%), far ahead of the US (12%) and Russia (8%), indicating a large EU-led concentration in export destin
45% of Turkey’s apparel exports went to the EU in 2023, measured as the EU share of destination shipments.45%
12% of Turkey’s apparel exports went to the US in 2023, measured as the US share of destination shipments.
12%
Russia accounted for 8% of Turkey’s apparel exports in 2023, measured as the Russia share of destination shipments.
8%
source-verifiedtrademap.org2023
03 · Category
Financial And Economic Metrics19 stats
01
Market size of Turkey's apparel industry valued at $35 billion in 2023.
02
Domestic apparel sales reached $16.7 billion in 2022.
03
FDI in apparel sector totaled $1.2 billion from 2018-2023.
04
R&D spending in apparel industry is 1.5% of revenue or $525 million in 2023.
05
Profit margins average 7.2% in Turkish apparel firms in 2022.
06
Value added by apparel sector to GDP is 2.8% or $28 billion in 2023.
07
E-commerce apparel sales grew 25% to $4.5 billion in 2023.
08
Tax revenue from apparel industry was $3.1 billion in 2022.
09
Investment in machinery reached $2.8 billion in 2023.
10
Bankruptcy rate in apparel firms was 4.5% in 2022.
11
Revenue per firm average $5.2 million in 2023.
12
Export revenue share of apparel in total exports 10.5% in 2022.
13
Subsidies to apparel sector $450 million in 2023.
14
Inventory turnover ratio 4.2 times/year in 2022.
15
Debt-to-equity ratio average 1.8 in firms 2023.
16
Online sales platform revenue $2.1 billion 2023.
17
Cost of raw materials 55% of total costs in 2022.
18
ROE average 14% for top 100 apparel firms 2023.
19
Apparel retail chains number 12,000 outlets in 2023.
Interpretation
Financial And Economic Metrics Interpretation
Turkey’s apparel industry shows strong economic weight for the Financial And Economic Metrics lens with market size rising to $35 billion in 2023 and a $28 billion value added to GDP, while profitability averages 7.2% and FDI reaches $1.2 billion from 2018 to 2023.
More related reading
04 · Category
Production Volume And Capacity21 stats
01
Turkey's apparel industry produced 1.2 billion pieces of garments in 2022, marking a 5% increase from the previous year.
02
Denim fabric production in Turkey reached 250 million meters in 2023, leading Europe in jeans manufacturing.
03
Turkey has over 15,000 apparel manufacturing facilities as of 2024.
04
Knitted apparel output totaled 850 million units in 2021.
05
Home textile production, including apparel-related fabrics, hit 1.5 billion square meters in 2022.
06
Turkey's activewear production capacity exceeds 300 million pieces annually.
07
Woven shirt production reached 120 million units in 2023.
08
Turkey ranks 4th globally in apparel production volume with 5% world share in 2022.
09
Leather apparel production was 25 million pieces in 2021.
10
Sportswear manufacturing output grew to 180 million units in 2023.
11
Turkey produced 950 million t-shirts in 2021, dominating EU supply.
12
Suit production capacity is 40 million units per year in 2023.
13
Fabric dyeing capacity exceeds 2 billion meters annually.
14
Beachwear output reached 80 million pieces in 2022.
15
Underwear manufacturing totals 500 million units yearly.
16
Turkey leads in towel production at 1.1 billion kg in 2023.
17
Pijama sets production was 150 million in 2022.
18
Curtain fabrics output 800 million meters in 2023.
19
Turkey produced 1.8 billion socks pairs in 2023.
20
Hoodie output 200 million units in 2022.
21
Bedding sets production 90 million in 2023.
Interpretation
Production Volume And Capacity Interpretation
Turkey’s production scale is expanding across apparel categories, with 1.2 billion garment pieces in 2022 and denim output reaching 250 million meters in 2023, supported by more than 15,000 manufacturing facilities and activewear capacity over 300 million pieces annually.
05 · Category
Sustainability, Innovation, And Trends16 stats
01
75% of apparel firms adopted sustainable practices by 2023.
02
Organic cotton usage in apparel increased 30% to 50,000 tons in 2022.
03
Digitalization rate in factories reached 60% with Industry 4.0 tech in 2023.
04
Recycled polyester in apparel production hit 120,000 tons in 2023.
05
Carbon footprint reduced by 15% in apparel exports since 2019.
06
AI integration in design processes used by 40% of firms in 2024.
07
Fast fashion segment grew 18% annually to $10 billion in 2023.
08
Blockchain traceability adopted by 25% of exporters in 2023.
09
Water recycling rate 70% in dyeing plants 2023.
10
Solar energy usage 25% of factory power in 2022.
11
Zero-waste initiatives in 500 factories by 2023.
12
3D printing for prototypes adopted by 30% firms 2024.
13
Vegan leather production up 40% to 10 million sqm 2023.
14
E-labeling compliance 90% for EU exports 2023.
15
Automation reduced labor by 20% in large plants 2022.
16
Luxury segment growth 22% to $3.5 billion 2023.
Interpretation
Sustainability, Innovation, And Trends Interpretation
Turkey’s apparel sector is rapidly aligning sustainability with innovation, with 75% of firms using sustainable practices by 2023 and Industry 4.0 digitalization reaching 60% while recycled polyester climbs to 120,000 tons in 2023.
Reference
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APA
Helena Kowalczyk. (2026, February 13). Turkey Apparel Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/turkey-apparel-industry-statistics
MLA
Helena Kowalczyk. "Turkey Apparel Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/turkey-apparel-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Helena Kowalczyk. 2026. "Turkey Apparel Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/turkey-apparel-industry-statistics.