Türkiye: Air transport, freight (million ton-km)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Türkiye's air transport, freight (million ton-km) fell 0.6% on 2022 (from 8,422 to 8,367).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +16.7% and a typical year strayed about 18.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 78.1% in 2009 and the biggest yearly fall was 31.8% in 1980. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 767.92 a year. A straight line explains 92% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 11,377 for 2026. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2021 to 2023 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 883.28, against 1,839 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2023, Türkiye had the 10th highest value of the 160 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Türkiye in the 2023 ranking

• Korea, Rep. — 6th of 160: 12,294
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 7th of 160: 8,638
• Japan — 8th of 160: 8,474
• Singapore — 10th of 160: 7,604
• Luxembourg — 11th of 160: 6,873
• United Kingdom — 12th of 160: 4,414

What this measures

Air freight is the volume of freight, express, and diplomatic bags carried on each flight stage (operation of an aircraft from takeoff to its next landing), measured in metric tons times kilometers traveled.

Limitations: While ICAO aviation data provide a globally standardized and comprehensive view of air transport activity, several limitations affect their accuracy and comparability. Data quality depends on the completeness and consistency of country reporting, which can vary due to differences in national statistical capacity, regulatory environments, and adherence to ICAO definitions. Some countries may not report all relevant data, leading ICAO to estimate missing values using historical submissions and published schedules, which can introduce uncertainty. Changes in airline registration, mergers, or operational practices may also affect the attribution of traffic statistics.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 54 values

Air transport, freight (million ton-km) in nearby economies

• Albania — 0 (2023)
• Armenia — 15.68 (2023)
• Austria — 207.84 (2023)
• Azerbaijan — 1,434 (2023)
• Belarus — 5.57 (2023)
• Belgium — 1,831 (2023)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 0 (2023)
• Bulgaria — 0.63 (2023)
• Croatia — 0.15 (2023)
• Cyprus — 0.37 (2023)
• Czechia

More infrastructure data for Türkiye

• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 9.03 million (2024)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 10.32 (2024)
• Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide — 810,474 (2023)
• Air transport, passengers carried — 125.94 million (2023)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions — 94.32 million (2024)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 107.83 (2024)
• Patent applications, nonresidents — 347 (2024)
• Patent applications, residents — 10,004 (2024)
• Medium and high-tech exports (% manufactured exports) — 44.97% (2024)
• Individuals using the Internet (% of population)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Türkiye's air transport, freight (million ton-km)?

8,367 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 181,798% from 4.6 in 1970 (15.21% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 9,338 in 2021 and the lowest 4.6 in 1970.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator IS.AIR.GOOD.MT.K1, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Civil Aviation Statistics of the World, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), uri: https://data.icao.int/newdataplus/#:~:text=ICAO%20data%20is%20comprised%20of,information%20about%20commercial%20air%20carriers; ICAO Staff estimates, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), uri:… Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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