Aydın Tiryaki (2026)
The demographic structure of Türkiye has undergone a significant evolution from the first general census in 1927 to today’s modern digital registration system. This study provides a comprehensive chronology of both native and foreign population movements in light of the latest data released on February 9, 2026.
1. Classical Census Period (1927 – 2000)
Manual censuses conducted under curfews until 2000 represent the periods of highest population growth in the history of the Republic.
| Census Year | Total Population | Increase Since Last Census | Annual Growth Rate (‰) |
| 1927 | 13,648,270 | – | – |
| 1935 | 16,158,018 | 2,509,748 | 21.1 |
| 1940 | 17,820,950 | 1,662,932 | 19.6 |
| 1945 | 18,790,174 | 969,224 | 10.6 |
| 1950 | 20,947,188 | 2,157,014 | 21.7 |
| 1955 | 24,064,763 | 3,117,575 | 27.7 |
| 1960 | 27,754,820 | 3,690,057 | 28.5 |
| 1965 | 31,391,421 | 3,636,601 | 24.6 |
| 1970 | 35,605,176 | 4,213,755 | 25.2 |
| 1975 | 40,347,719 | 4,742,543 | 25.0 |
| 1980 | 44,736,957 | 4,389,238 | 20.7 |
| 1985 | 50,664,458 | 5,927,501 | 24.9 |
| 1990 | 56,473,035 | 5,808,577 | 21.7 |
| 2000 | 67,803,927 | 11,330,892 | 18.3 |
2. Modern Era: ABPRS and Citizen Population Analysis (2007 – 2025)
This table demonstrates the difference between the total population growth and the growth rate of T.C. (Republic of Türkiye) citizens only (purged of foreign population impact).
| Data Year | Total Population | T.C. Citizen Population | Citizen Growth Rate (‰) | Total Growth Rate (‰) |
| 2007 | 70,586,256 | 70,488,192 | (Avg. 5.8) | (Avg. 5.8) |
| 2008 | 71,517,100 | 71,413,590 | 13.1 | 13.1 |
| 2009 | 72,561,312 | 72,450,102 | 14.5 | 14.5 |
| 2010 | 73,722,988 | 73,604,485 | 15.9 | 15.9 |
| 2011 | 74,724,269 | 74,602,254 | 13.6 | 13.5 |
| 2012 | 75,627,384 | 75.493,259 | 11.9 | 12.0 |
| 2013 | 76,667,864 | 76,509,409 | 13.5 | 13.7 |
| 2014 | 77,695,904 | 77,510,904 | 13.1 | 13.3 |
| 2015 | 78,741,053 | 78,090,569 | 7.5 | 13.4 |
| 2016 | 79,814,871 | 78,948,765 | 11.0 | 13.5 |
| 2017 | 80,810,525 | 79,773,088 | 10.4 | 12.4 |
| 2018 | 82,003,882 | 80,792,539 | 12.8 | 14.7 |
| 2019 | 83,154,997 | 81,623,817 | 10.3 | 13.9 |
| 2020 | 83,614,362 | 82,280,952 | 8.0 | 5.5 |
| 2021 | 84,680,273 | 82,888,237 | 7.4 | 12.7 |
| 2022 | 85,279,553 | 83,455,717 | 6.8 | 7.1 |
| 2023 | 85,372,377 | 83,801,834 | 4.1 | 1.1 |
| 2024 | 85,664.944 | 84,184,397 | 4.6 | 3.4 |
| 2025 | 86,092,168 | 84,572,653 | 4.6 | 5.0 |
3. Resident Foreign Population in Türkiye (2007 – 2025)
These figures only include resident foreigners with residence or work permits and exclude those under “Temporary Protection” (e.g., Syrians).
| Data Year | Foreign Population | Annual Change | Change Rate (%) |
| 2007 | 98,064 | – | – |
| 2008 | 103,510 | +5,446 | 5.5% |
| 2009 | 111,210 | +7,700 | 7.4% |
| 2010 | 118,503 | +7,293 | 6.5% |
| 2011 | 122,015 | +3,512 | 2.9% |
| 2012 | 134,125 | +12,110 | 9.9% |
| 2013 | 158,455 | +24,330 | 18.1% |
| 2014 | 185,000 | +26,545 | 16.7% |
| 2015 | 650,484 | +465,484 | 251.6% |
| 2016 | 866,106 | +215,622 | 33.1% |
| 2017 | 1,037,437 | +171,331 | 19.7% |
| 2018 | 1,211,343 | +173,906 | 16.7% |
| 2019 | 1,531,180 | +319,837 | 26.4% |
| 2020 | 1,333,410 | -197,770 | -12.9% |
| 2021 | 1,792,036 | +458,626 | 34.4% |
| 2022 | 1,823,836 | +31,800 | 1.8% |
| 2023 | 1,570,543 | -253,293 | -13.9% |
| 2024 | 1,480,547 | -89,996 | -5.7% |
| 2025 | 1,519,515 | +38,968 | 2.6% |
4. ABPRS Data Release Calendar (2007 – 2025)
The dates on which TurkStat (TÜİK) announced the results reflect the consistency of the institution’s data processing routine and rare calendar deviations.
| Data Year | Release Date | Day |
| 2007 | January 21, 2008 | Monday |
| 2008 | January 26, 2009 | Monday |
| 2009 | January 25, 2010 | Monday |
| 2010 | January 28, 2011 | Friday |
| 2011 | January 27, 2012 | Friday |
| 2012 | January 28, 2013 | Monday |
| 2013 | January 29, 2014 | Wednesday |
| 2014 | January 28, 2015 | Wednesday |
| 2015 | January 28, 2016 | Thursday |
| 2016 | January 31, 2017 | Tuesday |
| 2017 | February 1, 2018 | Thursday |
| 2018 | February 1, 2019 | Friday |
| 2019 | February 4, 2020 | Tuesday |
| 2020 | February 4, 2021 | Thursday |
| 2021 | February 4, 2022 | Friday |
| 2022 | February 6, 2023 | Monday |
| 2023 | February 6, 2024 | Tuesday |
| 2024 | February 6, 2025 | Thursday |
| 2025 | February 9, 2026 | Monday |
5. Demographic Analysis and Evaluation
- Systemic Calibration (2000-2007): The “virtual” drop in growth between the 2000 and 2007 censuses was due to the systemic shift. Under the old manual method, local administrations tended to inflate their populations (fictitious population) to receive a higher share of the national budget. The digital ABPRS effectively eliminated these “virtual crowds,” leading to more accurate data calibration.
- Resilience of the Native Population: Although the total population growth rate plummeted to 1.1 per thousand in 2023, the growth rate of T.C. citizens remained more resilient at 4.1 per thousand. The dramatic drop in total figures was primarily driven by the sharp departure of approximately 253,000 resident foreigners in that same year.
- 2025 Current Outlook: With today’s announced data, the total population has exceeded 86 million, with the total growth rate rising to 5.0 per thousand. The citizen growth rate has stabilized around 4.6 per thousand. This confirms that while Türkiye has not yet entered an era of absolute population decline, the high growth rates of the early 2000s are now permanently a thing of the past, signaling a demographic aging process.
A Note on Methods and Tools: All observations, ideas, and solution proposals in this study are the author’s own. AI was utilized as an information source for researching and compiling relevant topics strictly based on the author’s inquiries, requests, and directions; additionally, it provided writing assistance during the drafting process. (The research-based compilation and English writing process of this text were supported by AI as a specialized assistant.)
Aydın Tiryaki 