Nearly half of foreign residents in Türkiye live in Istanbul, Antalya

Almost half of all foreign nationals holding official residence permits in Türkiye are registered in Istanbul and the Mediterranean province of Antalya, according to newly published data from the Turkish Statistical Institute.

According to figures released on February 13 by Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK),  the number of foreigners with residence permits in the country rose by 38,968 over the past year, Azertag reports. 

The total number of residence permit holders increased from 1,480,547 in 2024 to 1,519,515 last year. The statistics cover foreign nationals with official residence status and do not include refugees.

Istanbul, Türkiye's largest city and economic hub, hosts the largest share of foreign residents. Approximately 40 percent of all permit holders — or 607,276 people — are registered in the city. Antalya, a major tourism destination on the Mediterranean coast, accounts for at least 9 percent, or 132,302 people.

The capital Ankara ranks third, with 128,633 registered foreign residents. It is followed by the northwestern industrial province of Bursa, home to 54,705 foreigners, and the southern province of Mersin, with 43,315.

At the other end of the spectrum, fewer than 1,000 foreign nationals are registered in each of the eastern and southeastern provinces of Muş, Tunceli, Bingöl, Kilis, and Bayburt.

By Sabina Mammadli