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Türkiye ranks 67th globally in elderly population rate

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1 month ago

March 28, 2024

Türkiye ranked 67th among 184 countries in the list of countries with the highest elderly population rate, according to the latest report shared by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat).

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

In 2023, 44.5% of the elderly population were men and 55.5% were women. In population projections, it was predicted that the proportion of the elderly population would be 12.9% in 2030, 16.3% in 2040, 22.6% in 2060 and 25.6% in 2080.

When the elderly population is examined by age group, in 2018, 62.2% of this segment is in the 65-74 age group, 28.6% is in the 75-84 age group and 9.2% is in the 85 and over age group. It was determined that in 2023, 64% of the population will be in the 65-74 age group, 28.1% will be in the 75-84 age group and 7.9% will be in the 85 and over age group.

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

In Türkiye, undergoing a “demographic transformation” amid the global aging phenomenon, significant shifts in population age structure have occurred. Factors such as declining fertility and mortality rates, advancements in healthcare and improved standards of living have contributed to this change, resulting in a higher life expectancy at birth.

Consequently, while the proportion of children and young people in the overall population has decreased, the percentage of elderly individuals has risen. Although Türkiye maintains a relatively youthful population compared to countries with an older demographic structure, the absolute number of elderly citizens remains substantial.

In population projections, the median age was estimated to be 35.6 in 2030, 38.5 in 2040, 42.3 in 2060 and 45 in 2080.

According to population estimates, in 2023, the world population will be 8,045,311,448 people, and the elderly population will be 807,790,294 people. Accordingly, 10% of the world’s population will be comprised by the elderly population.

The top three countries with the highest elderly population ratio were Japan with 30.1%, Italy with 24.5% and Finland with 23.6% while Türkiye ranked 67th among 184 countries in this respect.

When the elderly population is examined by province, the highest proportion of the elderly population was determined to be Sinop at 20% in 2023 followed by Kastamonu with 19.5% and Giresun with 18.3%. The province with the lowest elderly population rate was Şırnak with 3.5% followed by Hakkari with 4% and Şanlıurfa with 4.2%.

In Türkiye, it was determined that in 2023, out of a total of 26,309,332 households, 6,458,465 will have at least one member aged 65 and over, defined as the elderly population. In other words, it was observed that 24.5% of the households had at least one elderly person.