UPDATE 1-Turkish Dec trade deficit $6.37 bln, above forecast

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ISTANBUL, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Turkey's trade deficit was bigger than expected in December, bringing the full 2007 gap to $62.833 billion, official data showed on Thursday.

The deficit widened 43.4 percent year-on-year to $6.372 billion in December, the Turkish Statistics Institute said, compared with a Reuters poll forecast of $6.2 billion.

It revised the November deficit to $5.323 billion from a previously reported $5.338 billion.

The December figure pushed the full 2007 year-end figure 16.3 percent higher year-on-year to $62.833 billion, with exports rising 25.3 percent to $107.15 billion and imports rising 21.8 percent to $169.99 billion.

The trade gap is a major component of the current account deficit, which is proportionally one of the largest in emerging markets. Investors monitor it closely as a weak spot of the economy, particularly when risk appetite dries up.

Exports rose 12.5 percent to $9.68 billion while imports rose 23 percent to $16.05 billion in December, the institute said. (Reporting by Thomas Grove; editing by David Stamp)