Iraqis in Turkey are at the fore in real estate statistics

The Iraqis in Turkey for several years have had many of the ingredients that make them the most in-demand for real estate ownership in Turkey, and they have been at the forefront of foreign communities buying Turkish real estate, but the past two years have witnessed a slight superiority for the Iranian community, but the statistics for the months of May and June came 2021 to restore to the Iraqis their lead again. 

This article will be a detailed report of the July statistics, the position of Iraqis in Turkey in the field of real estate ownership, the reasons that led to their supremacy again, and the future of the Iraqi community's investment in real estate in Turkey.

Iraqis in Turkey top the June 2021 statistics

Of the 4826 properties in Turkey that were sold to foreigners during the month of June, the number of properties purchased by Iraqi residents in Turkey reached about 773 properties. 

This is the highest percentage of real estate ownership among foreign nationalities, and the percentage of Iraqis alone represents 16% of the total real estate sales to foreigners in Turkey.

The following is a comprehensive statistic of the number of properties sold to foreigners in Turkey during the month of June 2021:

By comparing the Iraqi and Iranian communities, which are the two most prominent contenders for the top spot in the real estate ownership statistics in Turkey, we note the following results:

We note that the difference between the two countries has gradually decreased since the beginning of the year, so that the Iraqis in Turkey excel after the first third of the year, achieving a clear superiority over the Iranian community. 

Ownership of Iraqis in Turkey Over the past years,

the Iraqi community in Turkey has maintained that it is one of the most foreign communities desire to own real estate on Turkish lands especially with regard to the field of owning apartments in Turkey,

you can see the exact numbers and statistics of the number of properties that have been transferred to Iraqi residents in Turkey during the past years:

The years 2018 and 2019 were among the years that witnessed a great demand by Iraqis in Turkey to buy apartments in Turkey, and the year 2020 witnessed a slight decline due to the Corona crisis and the repercussions of this epidemic on the labor and tourism sectors, thus affecting the idea of ​​real estate ownership in Turkey by foreigners. 

Iraqi returned in Turkey to prove their attraction again towards buying homes in Turkey since the beginning of 2021, and their demand has increased with the beginning of the summer clearly, with expectations of a greater increase during the second half of 2021 

States that Iraqis prefer in Turkey 

Iraqis represent the largest foreign community in Turkey after the Syrian community The number of Iraqis in Turkey is estimated at about 700,000 Iraqi residents, and the Iraqis are distributed in several Turkish states that they mainly prefer, namely: 

Istanbul

It is the most vibrant state in Turkey, and it is considered the most attractive to all foreigners in Turkey. The turnout of Iraqis in Turkey to move to live in Istanbul has increased significantly during the past three years due to the migration of Iraqi capital and businessmen and their choice of Istanbul as the headquarters for the establishment of commercial companies and new projects, And the start of various economic activities, and this generated among able Iraqis an increasing desire to own apartments in Istanbul, 

The state of Ankara

It is the political capital of Turkey, of course, but this is not the main reason for the residence of Iraqis in it, but because of the increasing industrial activity in it, and the state’s attractiveness to Iraqi investors to open industrial interests for them, and to run their own factories and workshops, and because of the existence of job opportunities for Iraqis in Ankara, I also found the opportunity to own Real estate in

Trabzon

The state has a special attraction for Arabs in general, and not only for Iraqis, and is considered suitable for middle-income people, but recently it has been noticed that the migration of Iraqis in Turkey from Trabzon to other states has increased in order to benefit from the vitality of other cities and start successful and more profitable investments.

Samsun State

The name Samsun is closely associated with the Iraqi community, and the largest percentage of Iraqis in Turkey belongs to Samsun. Even Iraqis who owned real estate in Istanbul or Ankara did not prevent them from buying real estate in Samsun.

The reasons for Iraqis’ demand for ownership in Turkey

The reasons for Iraqis’ ownership of the real estate in Turkey can be talked about from several angles and various points of view, which can be briefly addressed in the following paragraphs: 

• The geographical proximity between Iraq and Turkey 

The presence of Turkey near Iraq made it easy to choose it as the first destination for Iraqis to travel, especially With the difficulty of life in other countries neighboring Iraq, and Turkish laws are more tolerant of Muslims and Arabs than the laws of European and American countries, so the eyes of the Iraqis went directly to Turkey. 

• The ease of Iraqi travel to Turkey

There are 17 daily travel trips from Iraq to Turkey, i.e. approximately 3,500 Iraqi passengers, due to the easy travel procedures and ease of obtaining a visa, and the possibility of traveling by land and air between the two countries.

• The close relationship between the two countries.

Stability in political and economic relations between Turkey and Iraq plays an important role in increasing the number of Iraqis who are more interested in owning real estate in Turkey. Also, the close social and cultural ties between Turks and Iraqis facilitated the conditions of adaptation for Iraqis in Turkey, and their involvement in working life in an easy and uncomplicated manner. 

• The living conditions in Turkey are more encouraging.

The conditions of life in Turkey are more comfortable for Iraqis than life in their country because of the poor living conditions in Iraq, especially with regard to services, where Iraqis suffer from frequent power cuts and difficulty in providing basic life necessities.

In Turkey, Iraqis benefit from a number of  Integrated services: gas, electricity, water, telephone, and so on, in addition to the fact that the cost of living in Iraq is more severe, not to mention the great shortage of many materials and commodities.

Even with regard to education, the spread of Arab schools in Turkey, especially the Iraqi ones, has become an incentive for Iraqi families and reassures them that their children continue to receive education in the Arabic language in a safe and orderly manner, and with teaching conditions that are much better than the teaching conditions in Iraq.

Even in other fields of life, such as hospitals, universities or commercial malls, Or tourist trips and all other details that require family members completely, all in Turkey are available in much better quantity and quality than Iraq, and there is no room for comparison even.

• Real estate laws in Turkey encourage Iraqis to own property. 

Also, real estate laws in Turkey are very encouraging to own, especially with regard to real estate residency laws and obtaining Turkish citizenship by buying a property, as they are the most incentives to own property in Turkey. By the way, Turkish statistics indicate that Iraqis are the most foreigners who obtain Turkish citizenship by investing.

The future of Iraqis investing in Turkey in real estate

As for the future of real estate investments for Iraqis in Turkey, there is a lot of data that confirms that the percentage of ownership in Turkey by Iraqis is increasing. 

It is expected that the number of properties that Iraqis will buy in Turkey by the end of 2021 will reach at least 8000 properties in Turkey, where The real season for selling real estate in Turkey begins between the ninth to the eleventh month, which means that the Iraqis in Turkey have a unique opportunity to prove their leadership in this golden sector with full force. 

For Iraqis, life in Turkey has become a preferred option in the first place for them, especially since all circumstances encourage that, especially owning real estate in Turkey, the Iraqis in Turkey excelled in this sector and achieved the lead in real estate ownership rates during the past few years, and the aspirations of Iraqis in Turkey are still very high to achieve higher rates of real estate purchase.

Statistical source: Turkish National Statistical Institute - Turkstat

Edited and prepared by: Fanar Realty®