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Turkey Population 2026 & Religious Demographics: Trends & Insights
Turkey is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe. It’s one of the most populated countries in western Asia and the world’s 17th most populated country. It shares borders with the Black Sea to the north; Georgia to the northeast; Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran to the east; Iraq to the southeast; Syria and the Mediterranean Sea to the south; the Aegean Sea to the west; and Greece and Bulgaria to the northwest.
According to the Address-Based Population Recording System of Turkey, the country’s population was 85,279,553 in 2022, and As per the UN World Population Prospects report, the estimated population of Turkey in 2026 is 87,132,333 (87 million or 8.7 Crore)
Source: World Population Prospects
also read about Top countries in Asia by population
| Turkey | 2025 Population |
| Total Population | 87,132,333 (87 million) |
| Global Rank | 18th |
| Share of World Pop. | 1.08% |
| Land Area | 769,632 sq. km (297,157 sq. mi) |
| Area Rank | 36 |
| Pop. Density | 113 person/sq. km |
| Fertility Rate* in Turkey | 2.10 |
| Infant mortality rate** in Turkey | 7.3 |
| Median Age in Turkey | 31.5 years |
| Life Expectancy in Turkey | 78.45 years |
| Urban Population of Turkey | 75.7 |
Source: UN World Population Prospects report
Religious Demographics of Turkey (2026 Updated)
Turkey is a secular state with no official state religion; the Turkish Constitution provides for freedom of religion and conscience. Islam is the majority religion in Turkey, adhered to by 89% of the total population; religiously unaffiliated people comprised 10% of the population, while 1% were Christians and other minority religions.
Religion Percentage in Turkey
| Religion | Percent% |
| Islam | 89% |
| Christianity and Other Religions | 1% |
| Unaffiliated / Irreligion | |
| Deism | 4.5% |
| Agnosticism | 2.7% |
| Atheism | 1.7% |
| Unanswered | 1.7% |
Source: 2019 estimates
Islam in Turkey
Islam is the predominant religion in Turkey, with about 90% of Muslims belonging to the Sunni branch of Islam and predominantly following the Hanafi fiqh. The Shia sects make up about 10% of the population, with most of them being adherents of the Alevi faith, which is considered by most of its followers to be a form of Shia Islam. However, a minority considers it to have different origins. The Bektashi community is a small Sufi order of Islam that is closely related to Alevism and is indigenous to Turkey, but it also has many followers in the Balkan peninsula. Other sects such as Alawite, observed by some ethnic Arabs in southern provinces, and Jafari, the traditional sect of ethnic Azerbaijanis, also have significant populations in Turkey.
Largest Cities in Turkey by Population
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Istanbul | 15,655,924 |
| 2 | Ankara | 5,186,602 |
| 3 | İzmir | 4,479,525 |
| 4 | Bursa | 3,214,571 |
| 5 | Antalya | 2,696,249 |
| 6 | Konya | 2,320,241 |
| 7 | Adana | 2,270,298 |
| 8 | Şanlıurfa | 2,213,964 |
| 9 | Gaziantep | 2,164,134 |
| 10 | Kocaeli | 2,102,907 |
| 11 | Mersin | 1,938,389 |
| 12 | Hatay | 1,544,640 |
| 13 | Manisa | 1,475,716 |
| 14 | Kayseri | 1,445,683 |
| 15 | Samsun | 1,377,546 |
| 16 | Balıkesir | 1,273,519 |
| 17 | Tekirdağ | 1,167,059 |
| 18 | Aydın | 1,161,702 |
| 19 | Van | 1,127,612 |
Source: TÜİK’s address-based calculation as of December 31, 2023