As a rule, foreigners, who buy property in Turkey for holidays or relocation, choose mostly the coastal areas. According to the stats, the top destinations are Mugla, Antalya and of course Istanbul. Over the last few years, more foreigners have decided to move to this country and the list of popular destinations has expanded and included such cities as Ankara, Mersin and some others.
Foreign residents have bought 97,875 real estate units over the last 2.5 years. The property sales statistics for 2019-2020 looks as follows:
According to the General Directorate of Property Registration and Land Cadastre, Istanbul, Antalya, Bodrum, Bursa and Ankara are the leaders among the cities popular with foreign property buyers.
Over the past few years, foreigners from English-speaking countries have been buying property mainly on the Aegean coast, in such cities as Mugla, Aydin, Izmir. It is said that the British make up three-quarters of the total foreign population in the Mugla area.
Residents of German-speaking countries, mainly Germans, are equally interested in buying property in Istanbul, Antalya, and in Izmir (leading regions among foreigners).
Residents of other European countries prefer to buy property mostly in Istanbul and Bursa and the largest share of foreign buyers in these cities are from Greece. Property in Istanbul is also popular among Italians.
Chinese property buyers also choose Istanbul as one of the most international and developed cities in Turkey.
Expats from Scandinavian countries can be found in almost all popular cities in Turkey - Istanbul, Antalya, Aydin and many others.
Residents of the Middle East countries prefer Istanbul and Antalya, they also purchase property in the southeast of Turkey where Mersin has recently become a leading destination.
According to the migration service, which includes information on all expats in Turkey and, of course, may differ from the data of the State Registration Service, the majority of foreign residents are located in the districts of Istanbul, Izmir and Antalya.
ANTALYA
According to the TurkStat (TSI), there are 1,531,180 foreign nationals residing in the Republic of Turkey and more than 102,000 expats live in Antalya. They include 8,559 residents of the Russian Federation, 7,554 Germans, 5,840 residents of Kyrgyzstan, and 5,424 Ukrainians.
Foreigners who come to Antalya from more than 100 countries in different business areas, but mostly in the tourism sector. Most of expats living in Antalya are agricultural workers and pensioners.
ISTANBUL
The Germans are the leaders in the list of expats living in Istanbul - 16,494 people. Most of them prefer the district of Fenerbahçe. In general, most Europeans prefer the districts of Modu and Fenerbahçe.
According to TurkStat, currently there are also 9,807 Iraqis, 6,307 Russians, 7,724 Ukrainians, 10,875 Azerbaijanis, 10,279 Uzbeks, 7,978 Georgians, 5,768 Kazakhs and Kyrgyz living in Istanbul.
Residents of African countries, whose number is steadily growing in Istanbul, mainly live in Aksaray, Okmeydani and Dolapder. As for expats from Central Asia, they prefer to live in the districts of Caglayan and Okmeydanı, where there are many textile companies.
REGIONS POPULAR AMONG FOREIGN PROPERTY BUYERS
1. Istanbul - German-speaking countries, English-speaking countries, the Middle East, Russia and the CIS countries, Scandinavian countries.
2. Antalya - Russia and the CIS countries, the Middle East, German-speaking countries, Scandinavian countries, countries of Eastern Europe, English-speaking countries.
3. Izmir - English-speaking countries, Scandinavian countries, German-speaking countries, Russia and the CIS countries.
Of course, it does not mean that very expat buys property in Turkey. On the other hand, buying property in Turkey is one of the most popular purposes among foreigners going to Turkey.