Over the past five years (from January 1, 2014 to June 15, 2020), foreigners bought 18,400,000 square meters of land and 149,000 properties in Turkey. These data have been provided by Murat Kurum, Minister of Environment and Urban Planning of Turkey, with reference to the Cadastral Department of the Republic. According to the published statistics, from 01/01/2014 to 06/15/2020, a total of 18,451,099 square meters of land and 149,000 property units were sold to foreigners in Turkey. Residents of 145 countries became owners of apartments and land plots in Turkey during the above-mentioned period. However, these figures do not include legal entities - foreign companies and international partners of Turkish companies.
WHO HEADS THE LIST OF FOREIGN BUYERS OF LAND PLOTS?
According to the minister, most of the land in Turkey is acquired by residents of Arab and Middle Eastern countries. So the Saudis have bought 2,201,000 sq m over the past five years. They are followed by buyers from Egypt with 1,943,000 sq m. The top 10 of the most active buyers of land in Turkey also included residents of the following countries: Qatar (1,181,000 m2), Palestine (1,135,000 m2), Iraq (904,000 m2), Germany (797,000 m2), Kuwait (698,000 m2), Iran (638,000 m2), Afghanistan (471,000 m2) and the UK (470,000 m2).
IN WHICH TURKEY'S PROVINCES AND CITIES DO FOREIGNERS PREFER TO BUY LAND?
Most often, in the last five years, foreigners have bought land in the provinces of Manisa (Western Anatolia) and Konya (Central Anatolia). So in Manisa, foreign residents bought 2,897,000 m2, and in Konya - 1,933,000 m2 of land for various purposes (mainly farming). Among the cities leading in the number of land sales are Istanbul (1,316,000 m2), Sakarya (948,000 m2), Kocaeli (852,000 m2), Bursa (829,000 m2), Antalya (829,000 m2), Mugla (797,000 m2), Eskisehir (678,000 m2) and Edirne (604,000 m2).
WHY FARM LANDS ATTRACT FOREIGNERS IN TURKEY?
Experts note that foreigners easily tend to buy the most beautiful and fertile lands creating jobs for Turkish residents. Those planning to run a farm in Turkey are attracted by the investment policy - the government offers better conditions for foreign than for Turkish farmers. The topic of these conditions often causes disputes among the members of the Turkish Parliament.
NATIONALS OF WHICH COUNTRIES BOUGHT MOST HOUSING IN TURKEY?
According to the five-year stats, buyers from Arab and Middle Eastern countries, as well as Russians, are also leading among foreign investors in residential real estate in Turkey. Iranians are the top buyers with 23,902 properties, they are followed by Iraqis (13,055 properties), Saudis (11,785 properties). Russians are the fourth with 8,513 properties and nationals of Kuwait are the fifth with 9,262 properties. The top 10 of the most active property buyers in Turkey also includes nationals of Afghanistan (6,715 objects), Germany (5,800 objects), Azerbaijan (4,871 objects), Great Britain (4,567 objects) and (quite unexpectedly!) Mexico (3,025 objects).
IN WHICH TURKEY'S CITIES FOREIGNERS BUY REAL ESTATE MOST OF ALL?
According to the stats, the most popular cities for investment in real estate in Turkey are Istanbul (63,969 objects), Antalya (30,326 objects), Bursa (8,760 objects), Ankara (6,916 objects), Yalova (5,053 objects). The ten most popular Turkish cities among foreigners also include: Sakarya (4,072 objects), Mugla (3,779 objects), Mersin (3,473 objects), Aydin (3,271 objects) and Trabzon (3,238 objects).
WHICH PROVINCES ARE THE LEAST POPULAR AMONG FOREIGN PROPERTY BUYERS?
Foreigners are not interested in the east and southeast of Turkey. For example, in the province of Hatay (Eastern Anatolia) over the past five years, foreigners have not bought a single apartment. Only one sale was recorded in Gumushan (Black Sea region), two sales - in Bitlis province (eastern Turkey), and three sales each in Ardahan, Artvin and Batman provinces (north eastern Turkey).