Iraq ranks 7th in Turkish exports with $6.08B in first half of 2026

Iraq and Turkey flags (Stock Photo) Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraq ranked as the seventh-largest destination for Turkish exports during the first seven months of 2026, absorbing approximately $6.08 billion worth of goods, according to official trade data released on Monday, September 14, by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat). The figure represents a 7.8% decline compared to the $6.59 billion recorded across the corresponding period in 2025, tracking broader macroeconomic adjustments even as overall Turkish export receipts expanded by 3.4% globally to reach $161.54 billion. The overarching trade rankings placed Iraq just behind a slate of advanced Western economies. Germany led all global destinations by receiving $13.29 billion in Turkish goods, followed by the United States at $10.16 billion, the United Kingdom at $9.43 billion, Italy at $8.35 billion, France at $6.64 billion, and Spain at $6.44 billion, with Iraq maintaining its role as Ankara’s primary trading partner across the Middle East. High-value customs categories anchoring these flows into the Iraqi market included finished gold and jewelry, cereal derivatives such as bread flour, pastries, baked goods, and pasta, alongside a heavy volume of electrical consumer products and machinery. Despite the cumulative contraction over the seven-month stretch, bilateral merchandise trade staged a sharp rebound in mid-summer. Turkish exports to Iraq surged by 15.5% year-on-year in July 2026 alone, advancing to roughly $1.11 billion from $963.4 million in July 2025. This mid-year acceleration lifted Iraq into fourth position among Turkey’s top global export destinations for the month, trailing only Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom, and pointing to robust, recurring Iraqi consumer and commercial demand heading into the second half of the year.