Türkiye’s population increased by 292,567 people in 2024 compared to the previous year, reaching 85,664,944, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUİK) reported on Thursday in the results of the "2024 Address-Based Population Registration System."
Despite the growing population, Türkiye experienced a decline in fertility rates in 2023, when they fell to 1.51 live births per woman, below the replacement level of 2.1, the report highlighted.
According to experts, this decline is connected to factors like higher education levels, as women are prioritizing education instead of building a family.
Experts also attribute the decrease in urbanization and economic challenges to the decrease and argue that since more people are moving to the cities, it has become harder for families to afford to have children.
According to the TUIK report, in 2024, the proportion of people residing in provincial and district centers rose from 93% to 93.4%, while the percentage of those living in towns and villages declined from 7% to 6.6%.
TÜİK noted that the number of foreign residents in Türkiye decreased by 89,996 compared to the previous year, registering at 1,480,547. Among this population, 48.3% were men and 51.7% were women.
The foreign resident population includes individuals with valid residence or work permits on the reference date, those holding identity documents such as an international protection identity certificate serving as a residence permit, and holders of the Blue Card who have renounced Turkish citizenship but had a valid address registration on the reference date.
Foreigners holding short-term visas or residence permits of less than 90 days for reasons such as courses, tourism or scientific research, as well as Syrians under temporary protection, were not included in the population count.
Statistics also show that in 2024, every 100 people of working age were responsible for 30.6 children and 15.5 elders in Türkiye.
