By Ebi Kesiena
With a population of 85.3 million, Türkiye ranked 18th out of 194 countries by population size in 2023, according to the country’s statistical bureau on Tuesday.
TurkStat, which released this data ahead of World Population Day on July 11, citing UN population estimates, noted that Türkiye’s population represents 1.1% of the global population.
In comparison, India is the world’s most populous country with 1.43 billion people, followed by China with 1.42 billion, and the United States with 339.5 million. The top three most populous countries accounted for 39.7% of the global population in 2023.
In terms of child population, Niger and the Central African Republic had the highest proportion at 55.5%, while Türkiye’s child population was 26%, below the global average of 29.8%. For youth aged 15 to 24, Syria had the highest proportion at 24.1%, whereas Türkiye’s youth population was 15.1%, slightly below the global average of 15.5%.
The report, citing UN data, also highlighted that Monaco had the highest elderly population at 35.8%. Türkiye’s elderly population was 10.2%, just above the global average of 10%.
Regarding fertility rates, Niger had the highest rate at 6.67 children per woman in 2023. The global fertility rate was 2.31, while Türkiye’s fertility rate was lower at 1.51.
The data also provided insights into life expectancy. Monaco had the highest life expectancy at birth, with females living to 89 years and males to 85.2 years. The global average life expectancy was 76 years for females and 70.8 years for males. Türkiye’s life expectancy was higher than the global average, with 80.3 years for females and 74.8 years for males.
The UN Development Program (UNDP) endorsed in 1989 that July 11 be observed as World Population Day to address overpopulation issues.
