There is only one city from Turkey among global cities.

While Istanbul is the only city classified as a "global city" in Turkey, it has been determined that Ankara, Antalya, Bursa, Izmir, and Kocaeli also possess this potential, and a regional national strategy has been implemented for new ones.

The "Regional Development and National Strategy" prepared by the Ministry of Industry and Technology, covering the period of 2024-2028, was developed to strengthen the global economic integration of regions, increase their competitiveness, and ensure economic and social convergence between regions as well as economic and social recovery after disasters.

DIGITALIZATION AND MOBILITY ARE BECOMING DETERMINANTS

One of the first steps taken in line with the strategy was "spatial typology global integration." As international developments such as digitalization and increased mobility lead to growing economic and social interaction between countries, it has been observed that this situation brings both opportunities and risks. Therefore, the initial goal was to "strengthen the global economic integration of regions."

As a result of the analyses conducted, it was determined that Turkey's international economic and social relations are increasing day by day, and some cities stand out in terms of their potential to enhance these relations. In this context, global and potential global cities were identified.

ISTANBUL IS THE ONLY GLOBAL CITY

It was observed that a small number of cities involved in global integration are the most developed cities located in the western regions of the country. Istanbul, which is centrally located in every aspect, was distinctly labeled as a "global city" compared to all other cities. Among the criteria used to identify global integration cities, more than half of the international passenger traffic, foreign trade volume, and finance and insurance activities, as well as approximately half of the registered patents, occurred in Istanbul, which is the only global city.

ISTANBUL HOSTS MANY FOREIGNERS

Hosting 18% of the country's population, Istanbul also accommodates about 40% of the foreign nationals working legally in Turkey. In addition to Istanbul's dominance in these indicators, it was determined that the "potential global cities" also hold significant positions within Turkey in terms of technology production, foreign capital amount, and the number of foreign employees.

ANKARA LEADS POTENTIAL GLOBAL CITIES

With the advantages of being the capital and its strengthening industry, Ankara stands out alongside Izmir and Bursa, which are known for their developed production structures and traditional commercial center characteristics, as well as Kocaeli, which is increasingly gaining strength under the influence of Istanbul, and especially Antalya, known for its developed tourism sector. Among potential global cities, Ankara stands out after Istanbul in terms of the number of registered patents, employees in knowledge-intensive service sectors, and finance and insurance activities.

Bursa follows Istanbul in medium-high technology sectors, while Antalya ranks after Istanbul in terms of international passenger numbers and the number of foreign employees.

Kocaeli FOLLOWS ISTANBUL

Kocaeli follows Istanbul in total foreign trade volume and ranks third in the number of employees in medium-high technology sectors. Izmir, on the other hand, ranks third in Turkey in terms of foreign trade volume, finance and insurance activities, and the number of employees in knowledge-intensive service sectors.