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Turkey’s population above the age of 65, classified as senior citizens, rose 20.5 percent over the past five years to nearly 9.6 million, data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) showed on Thursday.
Data indicate a demographic shift that could increase pressure on the labor market and public finances in the coming decades.
According to TurkStat’s “Elderly Statistics, 2025” report, the number of people aged 65 and over increased to 9,583,059 in 2025 from 7,953,555 in 2020.
The share of elderly people in the total population rose from 9.5 percent to 11.1 percent over the same period. Women accounted for 55.3 percent of the elderly population, while men made up 44.7 percent.
The data show that although Turkey still has a relatively young population structure compared with many developed countries, the country is undergoing a demographic transition as fertility rates decline and life expectancy increases.
The old-age dependency ratio, which measures the number of elderly people per 100 individuals of working age, rose to 16.2 percent in 2025 from 14.1 percent in 2020.
TurkStat projections show the ratio could rise to 19.5 percent in 2030, 26.5 percent in 2040 and 45.5 percent by 2060, indicating increasing pressure on the working-age population and the social security system.
Population projections also show the aging trend is expected to accelerate in the coming decades.
Under the main scenario, the share of people aged 65 and over is expected to reach 13.5 percent in 2030, 17.9 percent in 2040 and 27 percent in 2060.
Under a low fertility scenario, the elderly population could account for as much as 42.8 percent of the total population by 2100.
Turkey’s median age rose to 34.9 in 2025 from 32.7 in 2020. The median age was 34.2 for men and 35.7 for women.
Nearly one in four households in Turkey includes at least one elderly person.
Out of about 27 million households in 2025, around 7.04 million had at least one elderly resident, while nearly 1.8 million elderly people were living alone. Women accounted for 73.5 percent of elderly individuals living alone.
According to United Nations estimates, people aged 65 and over made up 10.4 percent of the global population in 2025.
Monaco had the highest share of elderly residents at 36 percent, followed by Japan with 30 percent and Italy with 25.1 percent.
Turkey ranked 75th among 194 countries in terms of the share of elderly population.