Country Resource - Turkey
- Population...........................................................................83,593,483 (2023 est.)
- Population growth rate ............................................................0.64% (2023 est.)
- Birth rate......................................................14.04 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
- Death rate.....................................................6.09 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
- Net migration rate..................................-1.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
- Ethnic groups...................................................Turkish 70-75%, Kurdish 19%, other minorities 6-11% (2016 est.)
CIA World Factbook
Turkey is home to the world’s largest refugee population, a fact that has been a source of pride, a geopolitical tool, and a logistical challenge. This article shows how the millions of Syrians who have arrived since 2011 comprise just one aspect of Turkey’s rich and complex migration history. The country has been a significant host, a transit point for individuals heading to Europe, and a source of migrant laborers.
Recent Activity
Turkey’s migration identity has shifted from being principally a country of emigration and transit to becoming a destination for immigrants and people fleeing conflict. In response, Turkish policymakers recently enacted a comprehensive migration and asylum law that took effect in April 2014. This article examines the new law, which is intended as a significant step toward managing both legal and irregular migration to Turkey, including humanitarian migration.
Recognizing their new positions in the global mobility system, several governments from countries with emerging economies are implementing structures to proactively manage the flow of people across their borders.
United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees T. Alexander Aleinikoff talks to MPI about the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis and the role of UNHCR in assisting countries that have taken in large numbers of Syrian refugees. One looming concern: how will UNHCR and other actors change their refugee crisis-response models and mechanisms to adapt to this and future emergencies?
In 2012, significant challenges to existing EU policy, from Schengen to the Common European Asylum System, have constituted the chief concerns for migration management for both EU Member States and the European Commission. Beyond EU borders, there will be additional pressure for the European Union to offer a more concerted humanitarian response to the Syrian refugee crisis affecting Europe's neighbor Turkey in 2013.
There is an ongoing debate over the children born to Europe's guest workers of the 1960s and 1970s: Can they move up the educational ladder, or will they form a new underclass in Europe's largest cities? Maurice Crul of the University of Amsterdam compares outcomes for second-generation Turkish children across five countries.
On the fringes of the radar today, here are some topics likely to generate discussion and controversy next year.
Long a country of emigration, immigration, and asylum, Turkey has also become a country of transit for immigrants, according to Kemal Kirisci of Boagazici University.
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