Turkey Cities by Population 2024

As far as size goes, Turkey is one of the largest in the world when it comes to both the area of the country and the number of inhabitants that live within it. Turkey is the 37th largest country in the world by size and is the 19th largest by area. As one would expect from a country that is more populated than the majority of the world, this country also has some of the largest cities and metropolitan areas in the world. Turkey's most populous city is Istanbul, which has a population of over 11 million. Not only is it the largest city in Turkey, but it is the 8th largest city proper in the entire world. Turkey's next largest city, Ankara, has just 3.5 million inhabitant -- a far cry from the 11 million people in Turkey but still a respectable number that contributes to this country's huge population. Turkey also has four additional cities with populations exceeding one million, 72 cities with populations ranging between 100,000 and 1,000,000, and 424 cities with populations of at least 10,000.

The majority of Turkey's inhabitants live within its urbanized cities, with just 27% of the total population living in rural areas. Turkey has experienced steady growth over the years, and while some of the larger cities like Istanbul have been handling growth well, other major cities like Bagcilar have struggled because of illegal building and poor planning by the government, leading to narrow streets, rows of residential buildings crammed with residents and other effects seen from a lack of planning. Turkey is expected to see continued growth into the future, and only time will tell if its largest cities will be able to keep up.