According to the data from the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM), the city’s foreign sales, which were 4 billion 561 million 544 thousand dollars in the first three months of 2023, reached 5 billion 218 million 870 thousand dollars in the same period of this year, increasing by 14 percent.
Kocaeli became one of the two cities that exceeded the 5 billion dollar export mark along with Istanbul, which achieved 20 billion dollars in foreign sales in the first three months of the year.
Looking at the sectors, automotive companies in Kocaeli achieved the highest exports with 2 billion 409 million 17 thousand dollars. The export of the automotive industry, located in the city, increased by 5.3 percent compared to the same period last year.
The export of the chemical sector, which ranked second, increased by 60 percent compared to the first quarter of 2023, reaching 1 billion 461 million 114 thousand dollars.
The sector of iron and non-ferrous metals ranked third with exports worth 288 million 810 thousand dollars, followed by steel with 288 million 55 thousand dollars, and the electrical and electronic sector with 232 million 876 thousand dollars.
Exports to 168 countries and regions Exports were made from Kocaeli to 168 countries and regions during this period, making use of the numerous ports around the Gulf of Izmit, which serve as Turkey’s gateway to the world.
The United Kingdom was the country with the highest exports from Kocaeli in the January-March period with 593 million 892 thousand dollars. Export to this country increased by 24 percent compared to the first quarter of last year.
Italy ranked second with 450 million 954 thousand dollars, followed by Slovenia with 417 million 107 thousand dollars, France with 343 million 409 thousand dollars, and the USA with 305 million 956 thousand dollars.
The top 10 countries with the highest exports from Kocaeli in the first quarter of the year and the change rates compared to the same period in 2023 are as follows:
Country 2023 (Thousand $) 2024 (Thousand $) Change (%) United Kingdom 478,467 593,892 24 Italy 375,597 450,954 20 Slovenia 350,464 417,107 19 France 399,507 343,409 -14 USA 179,181 305,956 71 Belgium 221,781 286,106 29 Germany 309,424 283,169 -8.5 Spain 241,814 240,844 -0.4 Netherlands 169,360 202,562 20 Romania 148,251 182,430 23
source: aa.com.tr/ prepared by Melisa Beğiç