Turkey provided over $8 billion in developmental and humanitarian assistance around the globe in 2017, a Turkish agency said yesterday.

In a statement, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) said there has been a 25 percent increase in external assistance by Turkish organizations compared with 2016. TİKA reported the major support being given to projects around the world by Turkish nongovernmental organizations in its presentation to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the statement said.

The OECD acknowledged that Turkey has provided over $8 billion worth of developmental and humanitarian support. When the OECD's Development Assistance Committee (DAC) compared the official assistance in relation to the gross domestic product average of countries, Turkey ranked fourth.

TİKA provided $220 million in aid in 2017, and other Turkish nongovernmental organizations provided over $707 million: $384.6 million in humanitarian aid and $323 million for other developmental works.