Türkiye ranks 18th globally by population, surpasses EU average in child and youth population
Türkiye, with a population of 86,092,168, ranked 18th among 194 countries in terms of population size, while recording higher proportions of children and young people than the European Union average, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute’s (TÜİK) World Population Day 2026 bulletin.
Based on United Nations population estimates, the global population is projected to reach 8.23 billion by the middle of 2025. India remains the world’s most populous country with 1.46 billion people, followed by China with 1.42 billion and the United States with 347.3 million. Together, these three countries account for 39.2% of the world’s population. Türkiye represents approximately 1% of the global population, CE Report quotes Anadolu Agency.
Globally, children aged 0–17 account for 29.3% of the population, while Türkiye’s child population stands at 24.8%. Although below the world average, Türkiye’s child population share remains higher than that of all 27 European Union member states, where Ireland recorded the highest rate at 22.3%.
The share of young people aged 15–24 in Türkiye reached 14.8%, slightly below the global average of 15.6% but still above every EU member state. Ireland had the highest youth population ratio in the EU at 13.5%.
People aged 65 and over make up 11.1% of Türkiye’s population, exceeding the global average of 10.4% but remaining well below the EU average, where countries such as Italy, Portugal, and Greece have the oldest populations.
The report also showed that Türkiye’s total fertility rate was 1.42 children per woman in 2025, below the global average of 2.24. However, life expectancy at birth remained above the global average for both men and women.
According to the estimates, life expectancy in Türkiye is 75.5 years for men and 80.7 years for women, both exceeding worldwide averages, although remaining below the highest figures recorded in several European countries and Monaco.
Photo: Chat GPT
