World Bulletin / News Desk

The Turkish Statistics Institute (TurkStat) has announced that the proportion of the population aged 65 and above was 7.5 percent last year and is estimated to increase to 10.2 percent in 2023.

TurkStat announced the statistics to mark the Week of Respect for the Elderly, which is celebrated in Turkey between March 18 and 24. The institute also released a book titled “İstatistiklerle Yaşlılar, 2012” (Elderly Through Statistics, 2012), presenting statistical data on the elderly population.

According to the statistics, the proportion of the elderly population is estimated to rise to 10.2 percent in 2023, 20.8 in 2050 and 27.7 in 2075.

The region with the highest percentage of the elderly was the Aegean last year, with 16.5 percent of the general population in the region. This was followed by the Mediterranean and Eastern Marmara regions, with 11.7 percent and 9.9 percent, respectively. The Northeastern Anatolia region had the lowest percentage of the elderly population, at 2.6 percent.

According to TurkStat data, there is a significant difference between the educational backgrounds of elderly men and elderly women. The proportion of men aged 65 and over who cannot read and write was 12.9 percent, while the proportion of women aged 65 or over who cannot read and write was 42 percent. In addition, 51.4 percent of the elderly male population and 30 percent of the elderly female population completed elementary school. The proportion of elderly males who graduated from university was 6.2 versus elderly female university graduates at 1.6 percent.

The data also show that in 2012 the spouses of 52.4 percent of the female people aged 65 or over were deceased while the spouses of 13.7 percent of the male elderly people were deceased.

In addition, according to the data, 64.2 percent of the men aged 65 and over described their emotional state as happy last year compared to 57.3 percent of women aged 65 and over.

Sixty-two percent who described their emotional state as happy said their source of happiness was their family.

At a press conference in Ankara early this year, TurkStat officials also released other statistical data on the country's population. Those aged between 15 and 64 make up 67.6 percent of Turkey's population, while the percentage of those under 14 is 24.9.

As for the elderly, they represent 7.5 percent of the country's population. Turkey's elderly population is 5,682,003 -- a figure that is sure to increase in the coming years should the fertility rate remain as it is at present.

According to TurkStat's projections, Turkey's yearly population growth rate, which was 12.8 per 1,000 in 2011, is estimated to regress to 7.7 per 1,000 in 2025, while by some other estimates the rate is expected to go down to as low as five per 1,000 in the next 15 years, officials have said.