Rural population in Turkey
Turkey: Rural population was 22.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Turkey, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Turkey recorded 22.1% for rural population in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 55 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 17.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Turkey peaked at 61.8% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 22.1%, in 2024.
Turkey ranks 147th of 214 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Rural population in Turkey, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 61.8% | — |
| 1971 | 61.1% | -1.2% |
| 1972 | 60.4% | -1.1% |
| 1973 | 59.7% | -1.1% |
| 1974 | 59.1% | -1.1% |
| 1975 | 58.4% | -1.1% |
| 1976 | 57.9% | -0.9% |
| 1977 | 57.5% | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 57.1% | -0.7% |
| 1979 | 56.6% | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 56.2% | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 54.8% | -2.5% |
| 1982 | 53.0% | -3.3% |
| 1983 | 51.2% | -3.4% |
| 1984 | 49.4% | -3.6% |
| 1985 | 47.6% | -3.7% |
| 1986 | 46.1% | -3.1% |
| 1987 | 44.7% | -2.9% |
| 1988 | 43.4% | -3.0% |
| 1989 | 42.1% | -3.0% |
| 1990 | 40.8% | -3.1% |
| 1991 | 40.0% | -1.9% |
| 1992 | 39.5% | -1.4% |
| 1993 | 38.9% | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 38.4% | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 37.9% | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 37.3% | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 36.8% | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 36.3% | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 35.8% | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 35.3% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 34.7% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 34.0% | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 33.4% | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 32.8% | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 32.2% | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 31.6% | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 30.9% | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 30.3% | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 29.8% | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 29.2% | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 28.6% | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 28.0% | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 27.5% | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 26.9% | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 26.4% | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 25.9% | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 25.4% | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 24.9% | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 24.4% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 23.9% | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 23.4% | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 23.0% | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 22.5% | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 22.1% | -1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 59.0% | 56.6% | 61.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 48.8% | 42.1% | 56.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 38.2% | 35.8% | 40.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.5% | 29.8% | 35.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.7% | 24.4% | 29.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.0% | 22.1% | 23.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Turkey
More population data for Turkey
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -1 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.1546 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -1 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.543 % change on previous year (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.9701 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate -1 (2100)
- Population density 84.9 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 2.26 million (2100)
- Population growth rate by level of development -1 (2100)
- Total population (thousands), annual growth rate 0.2337 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Turkey?
- Rural population in Turkey was 22.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Turkey?
- The highest recorded value was 61.8% in 1970.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Turkey?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.1% in 2024.
- How does Turkey rank for rural population?
- Turkey ranks 147th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Turkey?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Turkey data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release