Food prices, skyrocketing rental house prices, transportation issues, and the decline in living standards accelerated the immigration outflux from Istanbul.
Turks are immigrating out of the megacity of Istanbul due to skyrocketing living costs. Former CHP MP Gürsel Tekin underlines the foreigner influx to the megacity and says “Istanbul is now a city for foreigners” reminding he has been highlighting the issue for the last 7-8 years. Turks generally return to their hometowns, states MP Tekin.
According to the national statistical office TÜİK, 2,2 million immigrated from Istanbul in the last 5 years. Better housing and living conditions are the main reasons of this reverse immigration trend, states Turkish media. Syrian and foreign population on the other hand is on the rise. CHP MP Gürsel Tekin says with the latest immigration trends, there is a significant increase in the number of foreigners living in İstanbul and the megacity is now home to foreigners.
The middle class is moving to cities like Canakkale or Balikesir and citizens of countries like Eygpt, Ukraine, and Iran have been buying up in Istanbul, Tekin states.
TÜİK data supports his comments: 2 million 182 thousand Turkish citizens moved out from Istanbul in the last five years between 2018-2022. 596 thousand citizens left Istanbul in 2018 and another 378 thousand in 2019. But this number eventually increased afterward and passed 418 thousand in 2022. 22.1% of the ones leaving Istanbul give “better housing and living conditions” as the main reason for their decision.
1 million 983 thousand people immigrated to Istanbul in the same period. As of the beginning of October, 576 thousand foreigners live in Istanbul with residence permits. Istanbul’s official population rose to 16 million, 440 thousand, according to TÜİK. Net immigration outflux was 199 thousand for the last five years.
