The elderly population ratio in Turkey is over 10 percent

The population aged 65 and over in Turkey has reached 8,722,806 last year, increasing by 21.4% over five years. The proportion of the elderly population in the total population reached 10.2% as of 2023, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), which announced the results of the “Elderly Statistics” study for 2023.

The population aged 65 and over, which was 7,186,204 in 2018, increased by 21.4% over the past five years to reach 8,722,806 in 2023. While the proportion of the elderly population in the total population was 8.8% in 2018, it reached 10.2% in 2023.

In 2023, 44.5% of the elderly population were males and 55.5% were females. Population projections suggest that the proportion of the elderly population will be 12.9% in 2030, 16.3% in 2040, 22.6% in 2060, and 25.6% in 2080.

The number of elderly people aged 100 and over, which constitutes 0.1% of the elderly population, was 6,609 in 2023.

The age structure of the Turkish population has changed

The proportion of the elderly population exceeding 10% of the total population is considered an indicator of population aging. In Turkey, the elderly population increased at a higher rate compared to other age groups.

The top three countries with the highest elderly population ratios were Japan with 30.1%, Italy with 24.5%, and Finland with 23.6%. Turkey ranked 67th out of 184 countries in this regard.

The province with the highest elderly population ratio in 2023 was determined to be Sinop with 20%. It was followed by Kastamonu with 19.5% and Giresun with 18.3%. The province with the lowest elderly population ratio was Şırnak with 3.5%. It was followed by Hakkari with 4% and Şanlıurfa with 4.2%.