Number of elderly people rises by 24 pct in 5 years: Minister

ROME

The number of the elderly people in Türkiye has risen by 24 percent in the last five years, the country’s family and social services minister has said.

Derya Yanık made a presentation to the U.N. European Economic Commission’s “Ageing Conference,” held in Italy’s capital Rome, about the latest data on the country’s elderly people.

The number of the elderly people in Türkiye was around 6.6 million in 2016, which was some 8.3 percent of the total population.

The rate increased to 9.7 percent in 2021, with a total number of 8.2 million.

“Türkiye is one of the countries ageing rapidly,” the minister said and added: “This demographical transformation we have witnessed has enabled us to form politicies, including creating ‘age friendly’ living quarters.”

According to the minister, the rapid population ageing “gave birth” to new models of long-term care and social services and the need for all the related institutions to work in coordination.

Saying that the state has been supporting all projects relating to elderly people, the minister underlined, “Since 2016, we lend support to municipalities’ home care services efforts.”

Türkiye is also “examining the experiences of those countries with high elderly populations.”

“We analyze the politicies and the services these countries give to their elderly people,” the minister added.

Türkiye held the country’s first “Ageing Council” between Feb. 20 and 22 in 2019.

A statement issued after the council highlighted that the number of people aged over 60 will top 15 million as of 2030. “The elderly will account for 16 percent and the elderly people population will surpass the young population,” it remarked.