MigrantoMigration trends in Turkey
Middle East
Turkey takes in more people than it loses: 6.8M immigrants against 3.1M emigrants. Net balance +3.7M — 4% of the country's population
85.5M
Population
6.8M
Immigrants
3.1M
Emigrants
+3.7M
Inflow
1 in 13 residents of Turkey was born abroad — and 1 in 28 people born in Turkey lives abroad
#11 in the world by net migration gain
Top corridors
The largest migration flows in Turkey
Key moments
How migration has changed since 1990
1990
1.1M immigrants · 1.9M emigrants
2015
- A surge of arrivals — the foreign-born population jumped 173%
- Syria overtook Bulgaria as the largest source of new arrivals
- Entered the world's 20 biggest immigrant destinations
- The country became a destination — more people arriving than leaving
2020
- Rose into the 3 biggest immigrant destinations in the Middle East
- Roughly 1 in 20 residents was now foreign-born
- Surge of immigrants from Iraq — 300.3K new arrivals
- Surge of immigrants from Afghanistan — 169.7K new arrivals
Today
- Since 1990: 5.7M more foreign-born residents and 1.3M more emigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
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