ISTANBUL

Türkiye’s population in 2024 grew by 292,567 from a year earlier to 85.66 million, according to official data.

The male population was 42.85 million or 50.02% of the total, while women made up 49.98% or 42.81 million last year, statistical authority TurkStat said on Thursday.

The annual population growth rate rose to 3.4 per thousand in 2024, up from 1.1 per thousand in 2023.

Istanbul, Türkiye’s commercial capital, was the largest city by population with 15.7 million people, adding 45,678 people compared to the year prior.

It was followed by the capital Ankara with 5.8 million, the Aegean city of Izmir with 4.5 million, the industrial hub of Bursa at 3.2 million, and the Mediterranean resort of Antalya with 2.7 million.

TurkStat data showed that the foreign population living in Türkiye dropped by 89,996 year-on-year in 2024 to 1.48 million.

The elderly population and median age rose due to a fall in fertility and mortality rates compared to 2007, TurkStat stressed.

“The median age of the population in Türkiye increased to 34.4 in 2024 from 34 in 2023,” it said.

Total age dependency ratio, which indicates the total number of children and elderly people per person of working age, fell to 46.1% last year.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has encouraged couples to have more children and pledged government assistance to promote marriage and larger families.