Turkey's population grows to 79 million, concerns over aging society renewed
Xinhua, January 29, 2016 Adjust font size:
Turkey's population grew to 78.7 million by the end of 2015 and its median age stood at 31, according to latest figures released on Thursday.
The growth by 1.05 million over the previous year was interpreted by the authorities as a slow but steady one, renewing concerns about an aging population.
The population of Turks aged 65 and over rose to 6.4 million, up from 6.1 million in 2014, making up more than eight percent of the total population, the Turkish Statistics Institute said.
The elderly population is expected to grow further to 10.2 percent by 2023, the agency said, adding the median age of Turks increased to 31 in 2015, up from 30.7 in 2014.
The number of males stood at 39.5 million, accounting for 50.2 percent of the population, while females, numbering 39.2 million, constituted 49.8 percent of the population.
Istanbul remains the biggest city in Turkey, with its population growing by two percent to 14.6 million.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long been promoting population growth, advising families to have at least three children to secure the country's economic growth. Endit