Istanbul's population continues to grow and, according to the latest data from TURKSTAT, related to the number of citizens with a permanent address in Turkey, at the end of last year it reached a total of 15,754,053 people, Turkish media reported. The data also shows that the country's population has officially exceeded 86 million people, BTA reported.
According to official data cited by the website “Türkiye Today“, in 2025 the population of Istanbul increased by 52,451 people. At the same time, the number of residents with a permanent address in the Istanbul municipality of Esenyurt has reached just over 1 million people, making it the first municipality in Turkish history with more than a million citizens.
Istanbul's population is currently larger than that of nine European countries – Belgium, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Greece, Portugal, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland and Bulgaria, as well as Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, the UAE, Libya, Paraguay and Uruguay, the media outlet also notes.
Amid the growth of Istanbul, which retains its first place as the largest city in the country, the total population of Turkey has increased by 427,224 people and now reaches 86,092,168 people, notes “Daily Sabah“.
The average population density in the country is 112 people per square kilometer, with the most densely populated being the Istanbul district (2,943 people per square kilometer), and the least populated – Tunceli district (11 people per square kilometer), the data also shows.
Men make up 50.02 percent of the population of Turkey, and women – 49.98. The share of the working-age population aged 15-64 increased to 68.5 percent of the total population, while the share of children aged 0-14 decreased to 20.4 percent. At the same time, the population aged 65 and over increased to 11.1 percent, the published data also indicated.