As Turkey invested more than $37 billion abroad, over the past 15 years, the Netherlands has come out as the top destination for Turkish investments.

Turkey has invested some $37.178 billion in foreign countries since 2002, with the biggest amount of direct investments, $10.21 billion flowing to the Netherlands, followed by the U.S., receiving $3.9 billion.

According to Turkish language daily Dünya, Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CRBT) data showed that investments made in the manufacturing industry, which is seen as one of the most important areas of foreign direct investments, amounted to $10.231 billion.

In terms of sectors, Turkish industrialists took the greatest interest in textile, food and non-metallic minerals (glass-cement-marble processing) sectors overseas.

Among important acquisitions, Ülker's (Yıldız Holding) purchases stood out in the food sector. In addition, Turkish cement companies, by opening factories in surrounding regions, have also expanded their global presence. Meanwhile, Turkish companies also made investments in some North African and African countries that offer cheap labor. Recently, there have also been reports of investments in the Balkan countries. From 2002 to February 2017, Turkey made $37.178 billion worth of investments in foreign countries. Some $15.88 billion of the investment was in services sector, $21.192 billion was in industrial sector and $106 million in the agricultural sector.