Turkey's energy import bill decreased by 27.5% to $2.73 billion in March this year compared to the same month of 2019, according to data by the national statistical body Thursday.

The same figure stood at $3.77 billion in the same month a year earlier.

Turkey's overall import bill, including energy and other items, totaled $18.81 billion in March, a 3.1% year-on-year increase, with energy accounting for 14.5% of the overall import figures, the Turkish Statistical Institute's (TurkStat) data showed.

Although the overall energy import bill fell last month, the country increased its crude oil purchases.

The country's crude oil imports showed a nearly 7.2% rise compared to March 2019. Turkey imported approximately 2.68 million tons of crude oil last month, up from 2.50 million tons in March 2019.