TÜİK releases internal migration report: Istanbul remains both the top destination and the top source of migration

According to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), 2 million 475 thousand 19 people migrated between provinces in 2025. While migration rates across Turkey showed a slight decline compared to previous years, the megacity of Istanbul maintained its top position in both criteria, remaining the province that both received and sent the most migrants. The most intense internal migration occurred among young people in the 20-24 age group, while education and dependency on household members stood out as the primary reasons for relocation.

According to the data, the ratio of the population migrating between provinces to the total population was recorded at 2.87%. While this rate was at 3.18% in 2008, it has followed a fluctuating course over the years and declined to its current level. Of those who migrated, 47.5% were men and 52.5% were women.

ISTANBUL IS BOTH A CENTER OF ATTRACTION AND A POINT OF DEPARTURE

The heart of population mobility in Turkey beat in Istanbul once again. The three major metropolitan areas shared the top spots on the list with the amount of migration they both received and sent:

PROVINCES RECEIVING THE MOST MIGRATION 

Istanbul: 329 thousand 912 people

Ankara: 176 thousand 833 people

Izmir: 106 thousand 83 people

PROVINCES RECEIVING THE LEAST MIGRATION

Ardahan (4,914 people)

Bayburt (5,064 people)

Dersim (6,078 people) 

PROVINCES SENDING THE MOST MIGRATION 

Istanbul: 371 thousand 258 people

Ankara: 145 thousand 661 people

Izmir: 98 thousand 728 people

The fact that Istanbul sent more people (371 thousand) than it received (329 thousand) indicates that the megacity's net migration rate has fallen into the negative and that there is a trend of outward migration from the city.

MOST INTENSE MOBILITY AMONG THE YOUNG: 20-24 AGE GROUP AT THE TOP

The group that relocated the most between provinces last year was the young population in the 20-24 age group. A total of 480 thousand 185 people in this age group migrated; 41.5% of these young migrants were men and 58.5% were women.

WHY DO PEOPLE MIGRATE?

The data provided by TÜİK revealed that the reasons for migration in Turkey show striking differences according to gender and age:

Across Turkey, dependency on a household member took the top spot among reasons for migration with 564 thousand 114 people. This was followed by better housing and living conditions with 510 thousand 226 people, and education with 406 thousand 144 people.

For men, the most important reason for migration was better housing and living conditions (253 thousand 93 people), followed by family reasons and job transfers/changes.

For women, the most common reason for migration was migration dependent on one of the household members (334 thousand 900 people). Better living conditions and education were also among the other factors.

(20-24 Age Group): In this age group, where mobility is highest, education (179 thousand 612 people) was by far the primary reason. Education was followed by starting a job/finding a job (75 thousand 591 people) and better housing/living conditions (42 thousand 391 people).