Turkey’s Economy Ministry published in December 2014 a comprehensive, 22-page report on international direct investments in Turkey. Based on this report, Al-Monitor has created a profile of foreign investment in the country.

Let’s first look at the table covering the period from 1954 to October 2014. The number of active companies involving international capital has reached 41,131 in six decades, including 6,257 Turkish companies with foreign partners. Foreigners are mostly present in the wholesale and retail sector, where 14,371 companies operate. The real estate sector comes second with 6,619 foreign companies, followed by the manufacturing industry, where 5,652 companies operate, producing mostly chemicals, food, beverages, tobacco and textiles.

A total of 19,228 companies belong to entrepreneurs from European Union countries, while non-EU Europeans own 4,328 companies. Investors from the Near and Middle East own 10,968 companies, while another 2,989 belong to Chinese, South Korean and other Asian entrepreneurs.

Germany tops the list with 5,991 companies, followed by Britain with 2,760 and the Netherlands with 2,428. US entrepreneurs have set up 1,500 companies in Turkey, followed by Italy with 1,198.