Last reviewed 20 November 2023
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has asked for comments on which aspects of the UK’s current trading arrangements with Türkiye the Government should look to improve or amend.
In particular, it would be interested to hear what businesses think about the current trading arrangements with what is now officially known as Türkiye, where they are facing challenges or constraints and what improvements would make trading easier.
The DBT will use this information to help inform its approach for starting negotiations on a new free trade agreement (FTA) with Türkiye in the future.
The deadline for submitting responses is 5 January 2024 and the necessary information for contacting the DBT can be found here.
The aim of this call is to secure background information on current trade flows between the UK and Türkiye to better understand the existing trading relationship and the rules which underpin it.
In 2022, Türkiye had a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of around $37,300. This is less than the UK’s GDP per capita of around $54,600 over the same period. Total trade (imports plus exports) is 69% of GDP for the United Kingdom and 80% of GDP for Türkiye.
While the UK is a services-based economy, Türkiye can be considered a mixed economy as its services sector accounts for around half of its GDP and industry accounts for around a third. By 2035, Türkiye will likely be considered a high-income country — with its import market expected to double in real terms.
Türkiye is the UK’s 18th largest trading partner, accounting for 1.4% of total UK trade in 2022. Total trade in goods and services between the UK and Türkiye was £23.5 billion over the same period.