Syrian population makes up 5 percent of Turkey’s population: CHP report
Rifat Başaran – ANKARA
A report prepared by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has said that Syrians in Turkey currently make up 5 percent of the country’s population.
“The number of Syrians under temporary protection in Turkey is 3,639,284. The number of Syrians staying in temporary accommodation centers is 87,646. The number of Syrians staying outside temporary accommodation centers is 3,552,000,” said the report penned by CHP Vice President Prof. Fethi Açıkel.
“The number of Syrians who went back to their country is 337,729. The number of Syrians born in Turkey is approximately 450,000. And the number of Syrians who have been given citizenship is 79,894; approximately 47,000 of this number is children. The number of Syrians to the total [Turkey] population has come to near 5 percent,” said the report.
When the figures are analyzed based on provinces, Istanbul has the highest number of Syrians with 547,000, according to the report.
“According to a report of the Marmara Municipalities Union, the Istanbul districts of Küçükçekmece, Bağcılar, Sultangazi, Fatih and Esenyurt each hosts more than 30,000 Syrians. The districts of Başakşehir, Zeytinburnu, Esenler, Sultanbeyli and Avcılar have each 20,000-30,000 Syrians; whereas the districts of Arnavutköy, Bahçelievler, Gaziosmanpaşa, Şişli, Ümraniye, Kağıthane, Güngören, Sancaktepe, Beyoğlu, Bayrampaşa and Eyüp each hosts 10,000-20,000,” said the CHP report.
After Istanbul, the southeastern province of Gaziantep is the second Turkish province that hosts the highest number of Syrians, with 445,000. The southern province of Hatay ranks third and the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa fourth on the list, respectively with 431,000 and 430,000 Syrians.
When looking at the provinces that have the highest percentage of Syrians, the southeastern province of Kilis comes at the top of the list as 81 percent of its residents are Syrians, the report said. Kilis was followed by Hatay with 27 percent, Şanlıurfa and Gaziantap, both with 22 percent, and the southern provinces of Mersin and Adana, both with 11 percent.
"The money spent on Syrians [so far] has been announced [by the authorities] as $37 billion; this figure corresponds to $2,500 per Syrian annually. The number of Syrians at the working age of 15-65 has been announced as 2,149,000; only 65,000 of this number have a working permit,” said the report.
According to the report, out of approximately 547,000 registered Syrians living in Istanbul, more than 100,000 are working in the informal economy. “The number of migrants who died at workplaces in the last five years has quintupled. Some 63 migrants were killed at workplaces in the first six months of 2019, most of whom were Syrians,” said the report.
The number of Syrians at school age amounts to 1,048,000 in Turkey, but only some 643,000 of this figure have access to education, said the report, emphasizing the need for more schools. “The percentage of marriage among 15-18 aged Syrian girls has been announced as 15,” said the report.
