Turkey's share in the global trade exceeded 1% for the first time last year, the nation's president said on Monday, citing the newly announced 2021 export figures.
While the global goods trade decreased 10% in 2021, Turkey achieved to increase its exports by 33%, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told reporters following a Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara.
Compared to 2002, when Turkey's annual exports were $36 billion, they increased by six times, he stressed, as Monday's figures showed that the country's exports reached $225.37 billion last year.
He also said that Turkey's foreign trade volume hit almost $500 billion in 2021, while it could not reach $88 billion in 2002.
Last year, the foreign trade deficit decreased to $46 billion, while the export-import coverage ratio reached 83%, which was 51% in the early 2000s.
In tourism field, Turkey hosted 29 million foreign visitors in 2021 and earned $24 billion, up by 83% and 100%, respectively, compared to 2020.
The country's new tourism target is to surpass the pre-pandemic level, Erdoğan said.
