CASE STUDY °1
February 2024
February 2024
For my first case study, I decided to roll up my sleeves and dive into the trade relationship between France and Turkey—specifically, what France has been shipping over to Turkey and what Turkey has been importing from the world. Given my time working at the Business France Istanbul Office under the supervision of the Embassy of France in Turkey, I figured, why not flex my data analysis muscles on a topic I actually know well?
So, let’s get into it! But first, let’s clear up some key questions:
1) What’s the big idea?
I’m analyzing French exports to Turkey since 2006. That’s nearly two decades of trade data—plenty of numbers, trends, and insights to uncover.
2) What’s the challenge?
Imagine the French government is on a mission to supercharge exports. To do that, they need to figure out which sectors have the most potential in different countries. My goal? To help them pinpoint the most promising sectors for export to Turkey so they can direct government grants where they’ll have the biggest impact.
3) What sources and tools did I use?
The task was simple in theory: “Which sectors should the French government prioritize for grants?” But in practice, answering that question meant wrestling with a mountain of data—50 million rows, to be exact. And since Excel alone wasn’t up for the challenge (even the most dedicated spreadsheet warriors have their limits), I turned to a mix of R programming language, Tableau, BigQuery, Excel, and Google Sheets to crunch the numbers. And if you wish to take a glance at the raw data I used, you can see them here 👈. And, someone said "but, where does this data come from?" I here. They come from both France and Turkey, from official institutions for national statistics in relation with our topic.
4) Who’s interested in this?
A mix of public and private sector stakeholders, including officials from ADEME, Business France Team Export, the Ministry of Finance of France, Bpifrance, CCI, and more. These are the decision-makers who can actually use this analysis to shape policy and business strategy.
Now that we’ve set the stage, let’s dive into the data! 🚀
Looking at static charts may be an interesting hobby for many, or I guess only for a few data visualization nerds. However, moving and dynamic charts are more fun for the majority of people. How do I know ? Well, it it weren't, social media would not be full of it. Would it?
That's why I hereby start everything with a racing horizontal bar chart that illustrates the Turkish Imports between 2013 and 2024. I do believe that these charts could be a part of performance evaluation processes in business. They illustrate well the data over a long period of time in couple of seconds. They attract people a lot and help them focus on what the chart is trying to tell them.
Looking at the chart, we see that Turkey has been keeping its trading partners on their toes since 2013, with the top spots constantly shifting. It’s almost like a game of musical chairs—except with billions of euros at stake. However, some countries have managed to hold their ground from start to finish. And guess what? France is one of them.
Not only has France consistently ranked among Turkey’s top 10 trade partners, but it has also steadily increased its exports—from around €6 billion in 2013 to approximately €12 billion as of November 2024. That’s a pretty solid flex in the world of economic diplomacy. And let’s be honest, achieving this despite occasional political turbulence between the two countries makes it all the more impressive. Score one for French exports! 🚀🇫🇷
Kids ask a million questions a day. Adults? Not so much. But after looking at the chart above, I can't help but have one burning question: What does Turkey import the most from these countries?
Well, here’s the answer:
Turkey’s economy runs on production—but to produce, it needs fuel. Literally. Before Turkey can export its goods, it first has to import a massive amount of energy. And as the chart confirms, energy is the heavyweight champion of Turkey’s imports. Right behind it, we see machinery, iron, and steel—essential ingredients for a country that prides itself on crude steel forging, textile manufacturing, and car assembly.
Speaking of cars, Turkey has become a major hub for vehicle production, attracting European and Asian automakers thanks to its highly skilled workforce and prime location between the EU and Asia.
Now, you might be wondering: why does the data only cover 2019–2023?
Two reasons:
The latest data stops at 2023 because, well, the 2024 numbers are still cooking (last updated in November 2024, and nobody likes half-baked data).
I wanted to highlight the latest trends—because let’s be real, following trends is one of the smartest ways to boost sales.
Want to dig even deeper? The chart has more to offer! Feel free to switch between categories, and don’t forget to pop the balloons with your cursor for extra insights. Trust me, it’s fun! 🎈
Now, let’s talk about Turkey’s growing role in French export operations. The chart below paints a pretty clear picture: since 2018, Turkey has become an increasingly important destination for French products among neighboring regions like the Near and Middle East, New EU Members, and Non-EU Europe.
Now, you might be wondering: "Why didn’t I include EU-14 countries in this chart?"
Simple—they have a customs advantage that gives them an unfair head start. However, I kept New EU Members in the mix because, despite having similar trade perks, their economic profile is more comparable to Turkey. But don’t worry—I didn’t just throw numbers at you. This chart is interactive! So go ahead, play around with the filters, explore different perspectives, and get the insights that matter to you. If you’re thinking, "Can I see the top 15 export categories for each country and each year?" The answer is yes, you can! Just hover over each bar, and the information will magically appear (okay, not magic—just well-structured data, but still cool).
What’s the Big Takeaway?
The story here is pretty straightforward:
Since 2018, Turkey has been holding on to its rank as a key trade partner for France.
Its share of French exports among neighboring regions jumped from 5.44% to 8.78% in six years.
This chart doesn’t just highlight Turkey’s position—it also gives detailed, country-specific tables for each year.
Who said trade analysis can’t be fun?
Average of yearly total trade values realized between 2018 and 2023.
Alright, so we know what Turkey imports the most—energy, machinery, steel, and everything it needs to keep its industries running. But that raises an even bigger question for France: How do we turn this knowledge into export gold? Before we start high-fiving over trade opportunities, we need to zoom in on the trends and ask: What’s been happening with French exports to Turkey? Which categories should be the ones to bolster more? What categories are trendy and which ones have been rock solid since the beginning?
To crack this mystery, I took a two-step approach (because in trade, it’s not just about the opening night, but the entire run of the show):
First, a quick snapshot: What have been the biggest export sectors for France in the past five years? This helps us spot what’s trending right now.
Then, a deep dive: For each sector, we rewind all the way back to 2006 to see the long-term evolution. Because let’s be honest—anyone can be a one-hit wonder, but we’re here for the real MVPs of French exports.
A Few Things to Keep in Mind
📌 The latest data stops at 2023 (as nobody likes half-baked data ⤴️).
📌 Meet the balloons! 🎈 These little guys represent the top 10 export sectors to Turkey with the highest trade value for France. The numbers you see? Five-year averages—because I wanted to highlight sectors that are actually picking up steam, not just one-off spikes.
📌 This is not just any chart—it’s a playground for explorers! Hover over the balloons, and you’ll unlock sector-specific line charts that tell the full story from 2006 to 2023. Each chart comes with a trend line and an average line—because context matters.
Some Big Takeaways
France’s exports to Turkey cover some of the biggest industries for both countries—think aerospace (Airbus, Turkish Airlines, and Turkey’s growing drone sector), steel, automotive equipment, and machinery. All key sectors, but there’s an interesting gap in the trade flow.
Some major import categories for Turkey—like energy and precious stones, metals, and pearls—are noticeably absent from France’s export portfolio. And even in the sectors where trade does align, the numbers suggest there’s plenty of room for growth. Take machinery, for instance: Turkey imports an average of €46 billion worth of machinery annually, yet France’s total sales to Turkey in this sector amounted to just €1 billion between 2018 and 2023. The same pattern appears in categories like plastics and automotive—where demand is high, but French exports remain relatively modest.
This raises an important question: Is this an untapped opportunity for France, or are there structural trade barriers at play? Either way, the data paints a picture of a trade relationship with potential—one that could evolve with the right strategies and market positioning.
What’s Trending in French Exports to Turkey then?
Looking at the numbers, France’s biggest export sectors to Turkey are led by Aerospace & Aviation and Automotive. But if we zoom in, the trends tell a more interesting story:
📈 Sectors going strong & getting stronger:
Aerospace & Aviation Manufacturing Products – Taking off exponentially (pun intended).
Steel & Primary Steel Processing – No surprises here, steady growth.
Basic Chemicals, Plastics & Synthetic Rubber – Consistently climbing over time.
Electrical Equipment & General-Purpose Machinery – Reliable and increasing.
Cutlery, Tools, Hardware & Metals – Sharpening its position in the export game.
📉 Not-so-great news:
Automotive Equipment – Slowing down, not as dominant as before.
Pharmaceutical Products – Declining over the years.
⁉️ Unexpected twist: Automobile Manufacturing Products – A weirdly sudden increase very recently. What’s going on there?
So far, I’ve put together seven visuals to shine a light on the export-import relationship between France and Turkey. But here’s the fun part—you don’t have to stop at just Turkey! With a few tweaks, you can reshape these visuals to analyze trade flows with any country of your choice. That’s exactly what I aimed for when diving into data analysis tools—learning how to wrangle massive amounts of data and transform it into meaningful insights. Now, I can track performance, take a critical approach to my work, and contribute to smarter decision-making in any organization I’m part of.
I hear you asking, “What’s the conclusion of this whole deep dive?” Well, it depends on the priorities of whoever is doing the analysis. But if it were up to me, I’d suggest the following to my fellow stakeholders:
The top exporting countries to Turkey change frequently. Instead of celebrating a temporary lead, we should analyze how to maintain a strong export position once we get there.
Prioritize sectors where Turkey has the highest import demand, such as:
Energy (Turkey’s #1 need—no surprises here)
Machinery and parts (because industry never stops)
Steel (strong, sturdy, and always in demand)
Cars & car parts (because, well… roads need cars!)
Detect why France lacks important market share in the highest import categories for Turkey.
Dig deeper into year-to-year variations in French exports to Turkey to identify consistently growing sectors. Also, look at industry partnerships—like the long-standing relationship between Turkish Airlines and Airbus or French car manufacturers producing in Turkey.
There’s a mismatch between Turkey’s total imports and French exports to Turkey. Part of it is real, and part of it is just a difference in statistical classification systems (Turkey uses HS2 codes, while France uses NC8). With more resources, we could purchase NC8-classified data from TÜİK (Turkey’s National Statistics Agency) and make a more precise comparison. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option for this study.
Finally, a key decision: Should we focus on rising stars like automobile manufacturing, which have seen a sudden increase recently, or stick with slow and steady sectors that have been growing over the long term?
The Final Word
At the end of the day, I know I wouldn’t be the only decision-maker in this project. But what I’ve done is provide the necessary tools for a detailed analysis and informed decision-making.
All that’s left? A productive discussion on how best to use these tools to come to the smartest strategy possible.
And let’s be honest—that’s the fun part.