Türkiye’s population aged 65 and older has risen sharply over the past five years, reaching 9,583,059 in 2025, up 20.5% from 7,953,555 in 2020. Elderly people now account for 11.1% of Türkiye’s total population, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), highlighting the country’s ongoing demographic transformation.
Men make up 44.7% of the elderly population, while women account for 55.3%. The largest segment is those aged 65-74, representing 62.9% of the elderly population, followed by the 75-84 age group at 29.3% and those aged 85 and above at 7.8%. Individuals aged 100 or older numbered 8,290 in 2025, comprising 0.1% of the elderly population.
Projections indicate the share of elderly people will continue to rise in Türkiye. By 2030, the proportion is expected to reach 13.5%, 17.9% by 2040 and 27% by 2060. Under a low-fertility scenario, the elderly could comprise 42.8% of the population by 2100. A high-fertility scenario projects a slightly lower increase, with elderly residents reaching 28.2% by the end of the century.
Among provinces, Sinop has the highest elderly population share at 21.7%, followed closely by Kastamonu at 21.1% and Giresun at 20%. The lowest share is found in Şırnak at 3.8%, followed by Şanlıurfa at 4.5% and Hakkari at 4.7%. In total, 62 provinces had elderly populations exceeding 10% of their residents in 2025.
Household statistics reveal that roughly one in four households includes at least one elderly resident. Among these 7,046,560 households, 1,836,496 were occupied by elderly people living alone. Women comprised 73.5% of single elderly households, and men 26.5%.
Balıkesir had the highest proportion of single elderly households at 34.3%, followed by Çanakkale at 34.1% and Burdur at 33.7%. The lowest rate was observed in Hakkari at 8.3%, followed by Batman at 13.8% and Van at 15%.
Proximity to their children varies widely among elderly residents. In 2025, 37.9% lived in the same residence as at least one adult child, 5.9% in the same building, 6.8% on the same street, 8.3% in the same village or neighborhood, 15% in the same district, and 9.3% in a different district within the same province. Around 9.9% of elderly people did not have a child residing in the same province, and 1.7% did not have a child living anywhere in Türkiye.
For elderly individuals living alone, 10.1% lived in the same building as their child, 12.8% on the same street, 13.3% in the same neighborhood or village, 22.8% in the same district, and 14.2% in a different district of the same province.
Single elderly residents without a nearby child were most prevalent in Çankırı at 40.9%, Kastamonu at 39.8% and Sinop at 39.3%, while the lowest rates were in Istanbul at 4.1%, Gaziantep at 4.8%, and Şırnak and Şanlıurfa at 5.2%.
Education among elderly people has improved. In 2024, 88.4% of elderly residents were literate, while 11.6% were not. Among men, literacy was 97%, compared with 81.5% for women. Education levels show that 46.7% of elderly people completed primary school, 10.4% completed middle school, 10.4% finished high school, and 9% had higher education. Across all educational levels, elderly men outnumbered women.
Marital status data indicate that 83.8% of elderly men were married, 1.5% never married, 4.2% divorced and 10.6% widowed. Among elderly women, 47.5% were married, 2.9% never married, 4.7% divorced and 44.9% widowed.
Elderly participation in the workforce increased slightly to 13.1% in 2024, with men at 21.4% and women at 6.5%. The majority of employed elderly work in agriculture was 56.9% and services 32%, with smaller shares in industry 7.7% and construction 3.4%. The unemployment rate among elderly residents rose slightly from 2.7% in 2020 to 2.9% in 2024.
Health data shows that the leading cause of death among the elderly was circulatory system diseases, accounting for 39.9% of deaths in 2024, followed by respiratory diseases at 17.2% and tumors 14.1%. Deaths from Alzheimer’s disease decreased to 10,742 in 2024, representing 3% of elderly deaths, with women affected more than men.
Technology adoption among the elderly is increasing. Internet use among 65-74-year-olds rose from 27.1% in 2020 to 53.2% in 2025, with men using it more frequently than women.
