Türkiye’s elderly population continues to grow: TÜİK

ANKARA

Türkiye’s elderly population, defined as aged 65 and over, has surged by 20.7 percent over the last five years and reached 9.1 million last year, marking a continuing trend, the country’s official statistic office has announced.

The nation’s elderly population share entered double digits for the first time in 2023, standing at 10.2. Indicating a steady increase, this share rose up to 10.6 in 2024, according to data published by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) on March 13. Women made up 55.4 percent of this group, while men constituted 44.6 percent.

The office noted that the proportion of the elderly in the total population exceeding 10 percent signals an aging population, underlining that the nation's elderly populace grew more quickly compared to other age groups.

While Türkiye still has a relatively young demographic structure compared to other aging nations, its elderly population is growing at a fast rate, with the U.N. classifying it as a country “with a very elderly population."

In an effort to address the continuous rise in aging population and the sharp decline in the country’s fertility rate, the Turkish government launched initiatives to promote family growth. As part of these efforts, the country proclaimed 2025 as the “Year of the Family,” highlighting policies aimed at encouraging higher fertility rates.

Meanwhile, the share of the median age of the nation’s overall population — indicating the middle point when all ages are sorted in order — also rose from 32.4 in 2019 to 34.4 last year, the data underlined.

Among Turkish provinces, Sinop in Türkiye’s north had the highest percentage of elderly residents in 2024, at 20.8 percent.

Of the 6.7 million households that include at least one elderly member, 1.7 million consisted of elderly individuals living alone, according to the data.

The labor force participation rate for the elderly, on the other hand, was 12.2 percent, up slightly from 12 percent in 2019.

Internet usage among individuals aged 65-74 also grew significantly in 2024, up from 19.8 percent in 2019 to 46.9 percent last year.