Strategic Location – Turkey is a natural bridge between both the East-West and the North-South axes, thus creating an efficient and cost-effective hub to major markets. ​

​Close proximity to major markets

Turkey offers easy access to 1.5 billion people and a combined market worth of USD 24 trillion GDP in Europe, MENA, and Central Asia within a 4-hour flight radius.

• Same day reachability of key markets

Turkey’s strategic location enables easy reach to markets across 16 different time zones, from Tokyo to New York.

 

Favourable Demographics

The young and well-educated population of Turkey is a great asset as investors are facing considerable challenges elsewhere in Europe with ageing and shrinking populations.   Turkey offers excellent opportunities with its growing, young, and dynamic population – the driving force behind a strong labor pool and a lucrative domestic market.  Turkey’s population was registered as 82 million in 2018. It is expected to reach 86.9 million by 2023, and 100.3 million by 2040, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat). The population is projected to maintain its growth momentum until 2069, when it will peak at 107.6 million

 

Liberal Investment Climate 

Turkey’s investment legislation is simple and complies with international standards while offering equal treatment for all investors.   The fundamental parts of the overall investment legislation include the Encouragement of Investments and Employment Law No. 5084, Foreign Direct Investment Law No. 4875, the Regulation on the Implementation of the Foreign Direct Investment Law, multilateral and bilateral investment treaties, and various laws and related sub-regulations on the promotion of sectorial investments.  Foreign Direct Investment Law  The aim of the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Law No. 4875 is as follows​:  to encourage FDI in the country  to protect the rights of investors  to align the definitions of an investor and investment with international standards  to establish a notification-based system rather than an approval-based one for FDI  to increase the volume of FDI through streamlined policies and procedures The FDI Law provides a definition of foreign investors and foreign direct investments. In addition, it explains important principles of FDI, such as freedom to invest, national treatment, expropriation and nationalization, freedom of transfer, national and international arbitration and alternative dispute settlement methods, valuation of non-cash capital, employment of foreign personnel, and liaison offices.  The Regulation on the Implementation of the FDI Law consists of specifying the procedures and principles set forth in the FDI Law. The aim of the FDI Law with regard to the work permits for foreigners is:  to regulate the work carried out by foreigners to stipulate the provisions and rules on work permits given to foreigners 

Key Sectors 

 

AgroFood 

Home to the headwaters of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, Turkey’s agricultural sector today is echoing the prosperity of ancient Mesopotamia. With its favourable geographical conditions and climate, large arable lands, and abundant water supplies, Turkey is considered to be one of the leading countries in the world in the field of agriculture and food.  Turkey has a robust agriculture and food industry that employed almost 20 percent of the country’s working population and that accounted for 5.8 percent of the country’s GDP in 2018. The sector’s financial contribution to the overall GDP was USD 42.5 billion in 2018.  

 

Automotive 

As part of its commitment to transforming its automotive industry, which has historically been a key economic driver in integrating the Turkish economy with the global value chain, and to its vision of making Turkey an economic powerhouse, Turkey has recently introduced its own locally-developed born-electric car built upon strength stemming from the country’s long-standing know-how in the area.   Accordingly, Turkey’s Automobile Joint Venture Group, known as TOGG, will produce five different models on a joint platform with fully-owned intellectual and industrial property rights by 2030. The first of these Turkish vehicles are expected to hit the market in 2022.​  Leveraging a competitive and highly-skilled workforce combined with a dynamic local market and favourable geographical location, the vehicle production of 9 global OEMs in Turkey has increased by almost five times from 300,000s in 2002 to over 1.5 million units in 2018. This represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 10 percent during that period. Over the past five years alone, MAN has increased its production by 143 percent, Toyota by 95 percent, Ford by 52 percent, and Fiat by 35 percent. ​ Notable examples of global brands with product development, design, and engineering activities in Turkey include Ford, Fiat, Daimler, and AVL​.

 

Business Services 

Turkey’s strategic location at the crossroads of Europe, the CIS, the Middle East, and North Africa, along with the country’s existing potential, increase in per capita income, and large, young and growing population have positively impacted the development of the business services sector in Turkey. Turkey has significant experience in a wide range of business service lines, such as engineering and architectural consulting, technical testing, and call centers. The country also boasts expertise in knowledge-based services, such as auditing and accounting, legal advisory, and consulting.  Engineering and Architectural Consulting  Engineering and architectural consulting companies in Turkey provide services related to engineering, architecture, design, technical drawing, urban planning, scientific and environmental services.  A skilled workforce, cost-effective service compared to international standards, expertise in diverse markets, and project types help move the sector forward in Turkey.  

 

Chemicals 

Global sales of chemicals more than doubled over the past decade, driven in large part by emerging economies that accounted for around 80 percent of new chemical production capacity.​ ​ Chemical sales in Turkey have closely followed the global trend. Turkey is an attractive investment location for chemical companies with its robust market growth fuelled by end-user markets and its competitive production costs. Turkey is also a regional production, management, and export hub for leading brands in the chemicals industry. Chemical giants such as BASF, Henkel, Bayer, Evonik, Linde, P&G, PPG, and Dow have been producing in Turkey for decades and have continued to grow over the years.  The sustained growth in customer industries in Turkey is also a source of strength. Turkey is the largest commercial vehicle producer in Europe, the 15th largest automotive manufacturer in the world, the 7th largest agricultural producer in the world, and the largest textile producer in Europe, accounting for 3 percent of global exports.

 

ICT 

Turkey’s information and communication technologies (ICT) sector has become an essential part of the economy with exports surpassing USD 1 billion to the EU, MENA, Asian, and North American regions. Turkey’s primary export destination, the EU, receives over 75 percent of Turkey’s IT and CT exports in software, hardware, equipment, and services.  With an estimate of USD 16 billion worth of international investments attracted since the early 2000s, Turkey’s employment in the sector has surpassed 139,000. Today, over 20 percent of employment in the ICT sector is R&D personnel, and nearly 70 percent of those employed in the sector are younger than 35.   Turkey’s talent pool is further supported by an increasing number of university graduates in engineering and ICT fields. In 2018 alone, the number of graduates in the specified fields passed 52,000. The availability of a qualified workforce and modest labor costs continue to make Turkey a competitive country in the region.    As the ICT sector is considered a priority sector by the Turkish government, various initiatives have been taken to promote investments in the area. The greatest indicator of these efforts is the R&D Law, first introduced in 2008 and then revised in 2016, entailing the government’s support areas in R&D and introducing an incentives package. The incentives package includes corporate tax exemptions, VAT exemptions, social security premium support, and more.​​​​​​

 

Defense and Aerospace  

The Turkish defence and aerospace industry has been undergoing a profound transformation over the past decades. Having achieved unparalleled success in the industry in recent years, today Turkey has one of the fastest developing defence and aerospace sectors in the world. The experience and emphasis on quality is evident among Turkish defence and aerospace companies as they undertake numerous endeavours, create products that are competitive worldwide, and assume important roles in international projects. With their qualified human resources and state-of-the-art technology infrastructure, Turkish companies bring global solutions to satisfy many countries’ local requirements. These Turkish companies conduct activities in many critical areas of the defence and aerospace sector, from original design development to domestic production, from modernization to modification, and from R&D to international projects.  During the establishment of the domestic defence industry infrastructure, the preference was to cooperate and co-produce with leading countries and associated companies. This enabled many defence projects like the MİLGEM battleship, the ALTAY Main Battle Tank, ATAK helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to be successfully developed by the national​l defence industry.

 

Energy 

Demand for energy and natural resources has been increasing due to the economic and population growth in Turkey. It has posted the fastest growth in the OECD, with an annual growth rate of 5.5 percent since 2002. Since then, Turkey’s primary energy supply has increased from 78.4 Mtoe to 155 Mtoe, a two-fold increase within 17 years. Turkey’s growing economic performance has also been reflected on the country’s electricity generation infrastructure given the dramatic rise in the total installed capacity from 31.8 GW to 88.5 GW, and in the electricity consumption from 132.6 TWh to 305.5 TWh as of end-2018. To satisfy the increasing needs of the country, the current capacity is expected to reach 110 GW by 2023 through further investments to be commissioned by the private sector as underlined in the 11th Development Plan for 2019-2023.  

 

Infrastructure 

Turkey’s developing economy offers lucrative investment opportunities in infrastructure across a wide variety of sectors including transportation, healthcare, and energy. According to the World Bank, Turkey ranks 3rd globally in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects, with a total contract value of USD 165 billion from 1990 to 2015. With a successful track record of over 220 PPP implementations across a diversified portfolio of infrastructure assets, Turkey has been able to realize around 80 percent of those projects over the past decade.  Turkey has solid rationales for investment in infrastructure:​  The Turkish economy exhibits a robust annual GDP growth rate of 5.5 percent on average.  Turkey’s 82 million strong population is growing by an additional 1 million every year; this is coupled with a rapid urbanization process that has resulted in more than 20 urban centers with populations over 1 million, and of which 9 of those 20 have populations of over 2 million.  Turkey’s growing international trade volume and strategic location compel the country to develop its infrastructure.  As a bridge between the East and the West, Turkey leads the Middle Corridor at the heart of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).  Hosting more than 600,000 foreign patients a year, Turkey has significantly improved the quality of its healthcare services and will continue to invest in healthcare infrastructure to catch up with OECD.  

 

Life Sciences  

The healthcare sector and its related industries are considered to be of strategic importance in Turkey. This is especially true when taking into consideration these industries’ social and economic impacts. Turkey affirmed its commitment to healthcare reforms with the implementation of the Healthcare Transformation Program introduced in 2004 by the Ministry of Health. These reforms marked a significant improvement in Turkey’s healthcare system, and they have been backed by investments in R&D and innovation in the healthcare sector.  In 2018, the value of the global pharmaceutical market reached USD 1.2 trillion, w​ith Turkey ranking at the 17th spot.  Some key facts and figures in the Turkish pharmaceuticals sector are as follows:  In 2018, the Turkish pharmaceuticals market grew in value by 26.1 percent, reaching TRY 30.94 billion. Unit sales rose by 3.6 percent to hit 2.3 billion in the same year.  Around 500 companies are operating in the industry. As of May 2019, there are 81 drug and 11 raw material production facilities that meet the highest international standards.   Among the 81 manufacturing facilities, 17 are owned by multinational companies.   

 

Machinery  

Machinery manufacturing continues to be one of the key growth drivers of the Turkish economy. This sector plays a crucial role in the development of Turkey’s greater manufacturing industry due in no small part to its capability to produce intermediate goods and to provide inputs to key sectors such as chemicals, construction, automotive, energy, te​xtiles, agriculture, and mining. The machinery manufacturing sector in Turkey is known for being R&D intensive — Turkey graduates over 35,000 engineers every year in mechanical fields — and for creating high value.   Turkey’s competitiveness in the machinery sector is driven by favourable input costs and strong enablers. Input costs include competitive labor cost, an affordable and reliable energy supply, and logistical advantages based on the geostrategic location of Turkey; enablers, on the other hand, include a skilled workforce, generous investment incentives, an innovation-oriented infrastructure, and a strong supply base and domestic clusters.  

 

Financial Services 

The Turkish financial sector proved resilient during the global financial turmoil in 2009 as well as the ensuing economic crisis thanks to the regulatory reforms and structural overhaul that the government implemented in the wake of the country’s own financial meltdown in the early 2000’s. In fact, the reforms in the sector boosted investor confidence so much that the industry has become the most preferred sector for FDI, attracting USD 52 billion since 2005.  Banking dominates the Turkish financial sector, accounting for more than 70 percent of overall financial services, while insurance services and other financial activities also show significant growth potential. There are 51 banks in Turkey (32 deposit banks, 13 development and investment banks, and 6 participation banks). Out of the 51 banks, 28 are classified as foreign banks (27 percent of total assets in the sector are held by foreign investors).  The Turkish insurance market is still underpenetrated (1.5 percent of GDP) compared to peer countries. It is set to capitalize on its significant potential as new insurers set up shop and acquire a share of the relatively untapped Turkish market. Turkey has seen strong economic growth fueled in part by a young and dynamic population that is increasingly in need of financial products and services.

 

Mining and Metals ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Turkey offers proven potential for mining investors. As the least exploited portion of the belt, Turkey stands out as a very promising region for companies engaged in mineral extraction.    Here are some essential facts and figures about the Turkish mining and metals sector:   The sector’s total production value soared to TRY 37.2 billion in 2018; it was TRY 27.8 billion in 2017.  Turkey’s young, dynamic, and well-educated labor force translates into a high-quality labor pool. There are 56 mining engineering departments in 38 cities in Turkey. The number of mining engineers in Turkey has increased by more than 50 percent since 2005, now reaching almost 38,000. In 2018, around 1,000 new mining engineers were added to the talent pool.  Turkey’s advantages for companies in the mining sector are not limited to a high-quality labor pool, but also include relatively low logistics and drilling costs, proximity to major markets, lucrative government incentives, and highly competitive taxes.  As a result of its remarkable economic growth, years of political stability, structural reforms, and the backing of governmental bodies, Turkey attracted USD 183 million of FDI to its mining industry in 2018. Meanwhile, mining exports in the sector totalled USD 3.8 billion in 2018. ​

 

Real Estate 

Turkey is one of the most promising real estate markets in Europe, and the mantra “location, location, location” rings especially true for this country. Strategically situated at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia, and home to almost 82 million people, Turkey offers great opportunities for real estate developers and investors by combining a large construction sector with growing commercial and industrial output.​  The real estate sector accounted for approximately 8.4 percent of GDP in the last decade. On the investment side, FDI inflows stood at USD 13 billion, with real estate and construction garnering USD 5.9 billion (45 percent) of total FDI in 2018.   Urban renewal and mega projects dominate the agenda for the foreseeable future, particularly in Istanbul. Some projects in the city include Marmaray, Canal Istanbul, Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, Eurasia Tunnel, 3-Storey Grand Istanbul Tunnel, and Istanbul’s 3rd airport.   The Urban Renewal and Development initiative will encompass 7.5 million housing units. The initiative has a budget of USD 400 billion, with a large contribution coming from the private sector.  ​The total number of homes sold in the Turkish property market reached 1.4 million units in 2018; likewise, sales of real estate to foreigners began to increase following the abolishment of the reciprocity law in 2012. 

 

Tourism 

As the 6th most popular tourist destination in the world and attracting more than 46 million tourists in 2018, Turkey continues to present vast investment opportunities in both the established and newly-developing subsectors of the tourism industry.   With its favorable location, existing potential, mega projects, and ambitious targets set for 2023, the tourism sector continues to grow at a rate that outstrips its bed capacity. Even though there has been a surge of investments in the last several years, there is still ample room for new ventures. Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia both have untapped potential for cultural tourism as well as the increasingly popular boutique hotel concept, which blends well with the characteristic nature, history, and culture of the regions.   In 2018, Turkey was the 6th most popular tourist destination in the world according to UNWTO.   According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the number of foreign travelers arriving in Turkey in 2018 was 46 million, while total turnover of the tourism industry that same year was USD 29.5 billion.  

 

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The Presidency of the Republic of Turkey Investment Office

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