Demographics 

Turkey is located in the GMT+3 time zone, which enables it to communicate with both eastern and western countries in the same working day.

Population

The demographics of Turkey’s population have a positive impact on the country’s economy, representing a window of opportunity in many respects. The young and well-educated population of Turkey is considered to be a great asset as investors are facing considerable challenges elsewhere in Europe, such as ageing and shrinking populations. Turkey offers excellent opportunities with its growing, young, and dynamic population – an indispensable contributor to a strong labor pool and a lucrative domestic market.

Turkey’s population was registered as 80.8 million in 2017. It is expected to reach 86.9 million by 2023, and 100.3 million by 2040, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat). The population is projected to maintain its growth momentum until 2069, where it will peak at 107.6 million.

Population Projections – 2018-2080 (millions)

Source: TurkStat

Turkey, with half of its population under the age of 31.7 in 2017, has the largest youth population when compared with countries in the EU.

Population-Age Group Pyramid – 2017

Source: TurkStat

Over the past decade, Turkey’s age-dependency ratio has continued its downward trend, allowing extra room for government expenditure on healthcare, social security, and education.

Age Dependency Ratio by Region (% of working-age population) – 2017

Age Dependency Ratio by Countries (% of working-age population) – 2017

Source: World Bank

Labor Force

Turkey's labor force is around 31.6 million people, which makes Turkey the 3^rd largest labor force market in Europe.

Turkey’s young population is an important contributor to labor force growth and has boosted the country’s rank over its competitors. Turkey has posted the largest labor force growth in relation to EU countries.

Labor Force – 2017

Source: OECD, World Bank, ISPAT, NA: Not Available

Annual Average Increase in Labor Productivity (%)

Source: OECD

The spectacular growth in the number of universities has allowed Turkey to graduate a larger number of students, which in turn has enabled Turkey to transform its young population and large labor force into a skilled workforce.

• More than 6.7 million students are enrolled in higher education
• Approximately 800,000 students graduate from universities every year
• World-class engineering education

Number of Universities and University Graduates

Source: CoHE

Availability of Skilled Labor – 2017

Source: IMD, IMD World Competitiveness Executive Opinion Survey based on an index from 0 to 10

Competent Senior Managers – 2017

Source: IMD, IMD World Competitiveness Executive Opinion Survey based on an index from 0 to 10

Qualified Engineers – 2017

Source: IMD, IMD World Competitiveness Executive Opinion Survey based on an index from 0 to 10

Urbanization

There are 22 cities with populations of over 1 million in Turkey. These cities are the engines of economic growth and social development through their production of goods and services. In terms of population, Istanbul is the largest city in Europe.

Source: TurkStat