Türkiye’s carpet exports hit $2.8 billion in 2024, totaling 589.2 million square metres of carpets sold, according to data from the Southeastern Anatolian Exporters’ Association as compiled by Anadolu.

Turkish manufacturers’ carpet exports climbed 4.2 percent in 2024 from 2023, the data showed.

Machine-made carpets made up most of the carpet exports last year with revenues of $2.2 billion, followed by specially designed tufted carpets with $530 million, handmade carpets with $108.9 million, and rugs with $9.2 million.

The largest destination for Turkish carpet exports was the US, making up $784 million. Saudi Arabia was number two with $287.2 million, followed by Iraq with $265.3 million and the UK with $187.5 million.

Notably, Turkish carpet exports to Iraq in 2024 jumped 35.6% on an annual basis.

Carpet exports from the southeastern Turkish province of Gaziantep totaled nearly $2 billion in 2024, while Istanbul racked up $673.5 million and the northwestern city of Usak did $76.7 million in exports.

Zeynal Abidin Kaplan, the association’s head, told Anadolu that it organised foreign trade delegations with the US, India, Australia, Malaysia, Mauritania, Senegal, and the UK and got positive feedback from them, with more to come in other countries and international events.