How Many People Live in Turkey?
Live counter for Turkey
This live counter uses the same data as our world population page (UN World Population Prospects 2024). It updates every second based on national birth, death, and growth rates.
Turkey has a population of approximately 87.9 million people, making it the 18th most populous country. Turkey is the only nation that straddles two continents: about 3% of its territory (including Istanbul) is in Europe, while 97% is in Asia. Istanbul, with 16 million people, is the largest city in Europe by population, bigger than London, Berlin, or Moscow proper.
Turkey quadrupled its population from 21 million in 1950 to 88 million today. Growth is now slowing as urbanization and education push fertility down (from 6.4 in 1960 to 1.62 today). The country hosts the world's largest refugee population: about 3.2 million Syrians under "temporary protection" since 2011, plus Afghan and Iraqi communities. This has become one of the most politically charged issues in Turkish politics, with opposition parties demanding deportations.
Demographically, Turkey is split. Western Turkey (Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara) has European-level fertility rates below 1.5 and aging populations. Southeastern Turkey (Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep) has fertility rates above 3.5, comparable to Egypt. The Kurdish-majority southeast is much younger and faster-growing than the Turkish-majority west, which adds a demographic dimension to Turkey's long-running ethnic tensions.
📊 Key Demographics
| Metric | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 📊 Total population | ~86.5 million | 18th globally |
| 👶 Fertility rate | 1.62 | Below replacement, falling |
| 📅 Median age | 33.5 years | Younger than EU average |
| 🏙️ Urban | 77% | Istanbul + Ankara = 25% of country |
| 🏕️ Refugees | ~3.2 million | Largest refugee host globally |
🏙️ What Are Turkeys Largest Cities?
| # | City | Metro area | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🕌 Istanbul | 16.0 million | Largest European city, Bosphorus, Hagia Sophia |
| 2 | 🏛️ Ankara | 5.8 million | Capital, Atat\u00fcrk's mausoleum |
| 3 | 🌊 Izmir | 4.5 million | Aegean coast, liberal, NATO base |
| 4 | 🏭 Bursa | 3.2 million | Auto industry (FIAT, Renault), former Ottoman capital |
East vs West divide
Turkey's demographics split dramatically between its developed western half and its rural, conservative east. Istanbul, Izmir, and Ankara have fertility rates below 1.5 (comparable to Germany). Southeastern provinces like Sanliurfa and Diyarbakir have fertility rates above 3.5 (comparable to Egypt). This divide mirrors political, economic, and cultural differences that define modern Turkish politics.
🏛️ Istanbul Is the Only Major City on Two Continents
The Bosphorus strait splits Istanbul between Europe and Asia. About two thirds of the citys 16 million residents live on the European side. Commuters cross between continents daily via bridges, ferries and an undersea rail tunnel. Istanbul has been a capital of three empires (Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman) and has been continuosly inhabited for about 8,000 years, making it one of the oldest living cities on Earth.
- tuik.gov.tr Jan 2027: 87,500,000
- population.un.org Jan 2027: 88,057,000
- worldpopulationreview.com Jan 2027: 87,926,000
- worldometers.info Jan 2027: 87,800,000
- statisticstimes.com Jan 2027: 88,057,000
- database.earth Jan 2027: 88,198,000
- georank.org Jan 2027: 86,227,000
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