Foreign direct investments (FDI) into Türkiye reached USD 16.5 billion in 2015 at a growth rate of 32 percent over the preceding year, according to data released by the Central Bank of Türkiye. With the monthly average of FDI exceeding USD 1 billion during the course of the last year, the country has attained the highest ever annual FDI figure since the global financial crisis.
In 2015, the manufacturing sector attracted the highest portion of FDI, followed by financial services and transportation sectors. Spain emerged as the top origin of FDI for Türkiye during the last year, with the US and Luxembourg coming second and third, respectively. Other notable investor countries were the Netherlands, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Russia, the UK, China and Germany.
Arda Ermut, President of the Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Türkiye (ISPAT), said that despite two general elections and the ongoing turmoil in some neighboring countries, Türkiye has managed to increase its investment attractiveness to international investors, thanks to its political stability and positive long-term prospects.
“Closely following the trends and developments in international investments, we have foreseen that the total amount of FDI into Türkiye would surpass expectations in 2015. Our country’s investment appeal will continue to increase in the eyes of foreign investors whose confidence in Türkiye’s political and economic stability is strong as ever. ISPAT’s strategy of attracting high-quality investments paid off well last year and in the light of our government’s Action Plan for 2016, which entails new reforms to improve our investment environment, we expect even higher figures this year,” Ermut said.