The Turkish footwear sector entered 2026 with a outlook of declining exports while imports remained above export levels, even as global trade grew. According to the Shoe Sector Report published by the Ministry of Commerce in 2026, 2025 exports were 1,009 billion dollars and imports were 1,679 billion dollars. This result affects not only sales volume for manufacturers; It increases the importance of monitoring product line, market, cost and collection profitability together.
What does the expression “2026 data” cover?
The Ministry of Commerce report was published in 2026; However, the last completed annual foreign trade data 2025 realizations. In this article, 2025 results are used to understand the 2026 industry outlook. It is not presented as the annual export or production result for 2026, which has not yet been completed.
Turkish shoe industry brief view
Starting 2026 with 2025 realizations
shoe export
$1.009 billion
Annual change -13.2%
shoe import
$1.679 billion
Annual change -1.9%
Foreign trade difference
‑670 million $
Exports minus imports
World shoe exports
$181.4 billion
Annual change +7.8%
Shoe Exports Have Been Declining for Three Years
Türkiye's shoe exports reached its highest level in the period with 1.311 billion dollars in 2022. Then, consecutive declines were recorded in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Although the 2025 result is 1,009 billion dollars, the sector maintained its scale of over 1 billion dollars in foreign markets.
2022
$1.311 billion
+%21,1
2023
$1.269 billion
-%3,2
2024
$1.162 billion
-%8,4
2025
$1.009 billion
-%13,2
What does this change mean for the manufacturer?
The decline in exports should not be interpreted as "demand has fallen" on its own. Product group and country data point in different directions. Therefore, the manufacturer; In addition to total turnover, model, country, customer, number-color variant, delivery time and profitability per product should be monitored separately. Simply increasing the quantity is not enough to make the right decision without seeing which model makes money in which market.
Which Shoe Groups Stand Out in Exports?
40% of 2025 exports came from shoes with leather uppers, and 35.2% came from other shoes with rubber or plastic outer soles and uppers. On the other hand, the sharpest decline was experienced in shoes with uppers made of textile materials. The cards below show the main product groups in total exports.
leather shoes
- export
- $403 million
- Total share
- %40,0
Rubber or plastic shoes
- export
- $355 million
- Total share
- %35,2
Shoes with woven uppers
- export
- $130 million
- Total share
- %12,9
Shoe components and parts
- export
- 52 million $
- Total share
- %5,2
In order to compare the change in the product group with business data, a sales-cost relationship should be established on the basis of collection, model, material and variant. How to follow sample, color-number, subcontracting and shipping steps in shoe production In the digital tracking guide in shoe production and review it.
Largest Markets and Growing Countries in Export
Iraq remained Turkey’s largest shoe export market with $93 million. Romania followed with $68 million, Germany with $65 million. While the overall decline is noted, increases in some European and surrounding markets highlight new customer and product matching opportunities.
Highest export value
Markets with growing exports
Greece
+%57,8
Romania
+%36,2
bulgaria
+%34,8
Kazakhstan
+%22,1
Growth rate alone does not indicate that the market is profitable; Sales price, exchange rate, logistics, maturity, return and collection costs should be evaluated together.
Import Has Overtaken Export
Türkiye's shoe imports decreased by 1.9% in 2025, reaching 1.679 billion dollars. Despite this, imports were approximately 670 million dollars higher than exports. 74.9% of imports came from China, Vietnam and Italy; This concentration requires the domestic manufacturer to closely monitor price, delivery time, design and quality competition.
China
$543 million
Its share in imports is 32.3%
Vietnam
$457 million
Its share in imports is 27.2%
Italy
$259 million
Its share in imports is 15.4%
Shoe Demand Is a Strong Area in E‑Commerce
Clothing, shoes and accessories
428.7 billion TL
2025 e-commerce volume
In the Outlook of E-Commerce in Türkiye Report published by the Ministry of Commerce in 2026 clothing, shoes and accessories together It became the sector with the highest e-commerce volume of 2025. This amount does not only belong to shoes. The same combined industry accounted for 13.8% of e-commerce businesses.
Online growth for shoe manufacturer and retailer; It requires model-color-number stocks to be updated simultaneously with store and warehouse stocks. How the marketplace, order, invoice and returns processes combine KG Shop e-commerce ERP integration on the page.
What Data Should Shoe Manufacturers Monitor in 2026?
Actual profitability by model and variant
Color, number and material options of the same model may have different stock, wastage and sales speed. Profit should be monitored based on solid production numbers and actual cost rather than turnover.
Export profitability based on market and customer
Growth country data does not automatically mean the company will profit. Price lists, exchange rates, freight, terms, commissions, returns and collection risk must be compared on an order basis.
Subcontracting, waste and material usage
Leather, sole, accessory and labor costs vary by model. The amount sent to the subcontractor, the returned intact product, wastage and remaining material should be recorded separately.
Collection, inventory and delivery time
The remaining numbers and colors at the end of the season increase the total stock value. The time from order to shipment, out-of-stock days, and missed sales due to missing variants should be monitored together.
Consolidate data on a single order in shoe production
KG Palaimon shoe production schedule; It is positioned to associate model, color, number, bill of materials, material requirement, production, subcontractor and cost records with the same order. Application steps in leather piece and wastage tracking in the leather piece tracking guide you can see.
For application experiences of shoe manufacturers using Korgün ERP Metin Ayakkabı success story and Bambi production and inventory management example and review it.
Which data are missing from the report?
The Ministry of Commerce's 2026 Footwear Sector Report explains the production structure qualitatively; However, it does not provide current numerical values for Türkiye's total shoe production, the number of companies in the sector and direct shoe employment. For this reason, old or unknown figures regarding these titles were not used in this article. Export and import amounts are not the same as production amount.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is Turkey’s footwear export in 2025?
According to the Ministry of Commerce report, 2025 shoe exports amounted to 1.009 billion dollars and decreased by 13.2% compared to the previous year.
To which countries does Türkiye export shoes the most?
In 2025 the top three markets were Iraq with $93 million, Romania with $68 million and Germany with $65 million.
How much is Türkiye's shoe import?
2025 shoe imports fell 1.9% to $1.679 billion. China, Vietnam and Italy accounted for 74.9% of total imports.
Which period does the 2026 shoe industry report show?
The report was published in 2026. The last completed annual comparisons in Türkiye's foreign trade are based on 2024 and 2025 data.
Official sources and data sheet
- T.R. Ministry of Commerce - Footwear Sector Report 2026
- T.R. Ministry of Commerce - E-Commerce Outlook Report in Türkiye, 2025 results
Data checked on July 25, 2026. Foreign trade values are given in million or billion US dollars. Slight differences may occur in the total of sub-items due to rounding. Current official statistics and the company's own cost-sales data should be evaluated together in business decisions.
To evaluate industry data together with model, assortment and order tracking within the business ERP scope suitable for shoe production and review it.
Shoe production process analysis
See what data you lost from model to shipment
Examine your sample, model, color-number, material, subcontractor, production, stock and cost flow to identify record gaps that make it difficult for you to make a decision.