Number of people leaving Istanbul on rise

ISTANBUL

Istanbul, Türkiye most populous city, has witnessed an escalating trend of remigration, with the primary factors driving the departure of a large number of residents from the metropolis of 16 million being the high cost of living and earthquake concerns, a senior official from the municipality has revealed.

More than 2 million people have left the city over the last five years, with 418,000 people parting ways with the megacity in 2022 alone, based on data from an address-based population registration system, the municipality’s Deputy Secretary-General Buğra Gökce said.

While the influx of foreigners into the city persists, the reverse migration trend is predominantly observed among Turkish citizens.

"Due to deteriorating economic conditions and the cost of living, our citizens are migrating from Istanbul, whereas foreigners continue to acquire property and settle in the city. According to İSKİ [Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration] data, approximately 2.5 million foreigners reside in Istanbul, and the number of foreign İSKİ subscribers has surged nearly tenfold in eight years,” he explained.

Highlighting the preferred destinations of those migrating, Gökce stated that the Eastern Marmara region topped the list, followed by the Western Marmara and Western Black Sea regions.

Gökce also noted that one out of every 10 individuals seeking a more serene city life after retirement opts for a province in the Aegean region, contributing to the substantial reverse migration in that area.

The primary reasons prompting migration from Istanbul, according to Gökce, include obligations to relocate to a different province due to family members' employment or marriage to someone residing elsewhere. Furthermore, students studying at universities outside the city also contribute significantly to the high numbers of this figure, he added.

Notably, one in every five residents leaving the city expressed concerns about a potential major earthquake amid continued warnings that experts have been issuing for over two decades, Gökce stated.

A large number of individuals are relocating not only to escape seismic risks but also to attain a better quality of life in residences built on earthquake-resistant foundations.

Referencing a study by the Istanbul Planning Agency (IPA), Gökce emphasized that the cost of living in Istanbul surged by 76.69 percent in October compared to the same month in the previous year.

He stated that the average monthly cost of living for a four-person family in Istanbul is calculated to be 45,956 Turkish Liras ($1,700).

"For a family surviving on minimum wage, living in the megacity has become nearly impossible. Over five years, housing prices for sale have increased by 748 percent, and rental costs have soared by 900 percent," he explained.

Given Istanbul's heightened earthquake risk since the devastating 1999 earthquake in its neighboring district of Kocaeli, and the recent earthquake in southern provinces claiming the lives of over 50,000 people earlier this year, the reality of earthquakes in the city and the potential losses from its densely populated areas have once again come to the forefront.