Türkiye’s youth population keeps declining, TÜİK data shows

ANKARA

Türkiye’s youth population has been steadily declining over the years, with those aged 15 to 24 making up 14.9 percent of Türkiye’s total population of 85.6 million in 2024, according to the data published by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) on May 16.

This age group made up 20.8 percent of the total population in 1950, hovered around 16.6 percent in 2013 and has been steadily declining since then.

Numbering nearly 12.7 million in 2024, 51.2 percent are male and 48.8 percent are female of this youth population, TÜİK said.

Despite the decline, Türkiye’s youth population ratio remains notably higher than the average in European Union (EU) member states. In 2024, the average youth proportion across the 27 EU countries was 10.7 percent.

In parallel with this decline, Türkiye has been grappling with a steady decrease in birth rates over recent years, urging the government to proclaim 2025 as the “Year of the Family” and carry out a thorough examination of the causes and potential solutions.

Most recently, authorities launched a new child allowance program in a bid to address the issue.

A high-fertility scenario, which assumes that a set of dedicated measures could effectively increase birth rates, projects a youth share of 11.4 percent by 2100, according to TÜİK data.

In a low-fertility scenario, which assumes a continued rapid decline in birth rates, the youth proportion is expected to fall more sharply, decreasing to 7.2 percent by the same year.