Turkey’s population aged 65 and over reached a record 11.1 percent as demand for nursing homes grows, particularly in major cities, with 11,057 people on waiting lists as of June 2025.

The number of people aged 65 and over reached 9.58 million in 2025, up 20.5 percent from 7.95 million in 2020, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat). People aged 65 and over accounted for 11.1 percent of Turkey’s population, the highest level recorded.

Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş said 15,263 elderly people were receiving care at 178 nursing homes and elderly care and rehabilitation centers operated by her ministry. Turkey also has 290 privately operated nursing homes and 18 facilities run by other public institutions, bringing the total number of elderly people living in nursing homes nationwide close to 30,000.

Göktaş said the average age of people applying for admittance to nursing homes was 78. Demand is particularly high in major cities and at certain facilities. Some elderly people remain on waiting lists even when beds are available elsewhere because they prefer single rooms, want to stay in the city where they were born and raised, or have preferences related to climate and food.

The government’s capacity expansion plans include six new elderly care facilities with a combined capacity of 710 people. Another 24 nursing homes are under construction, with 14 expected to be completed in 2027. The Family and Social Services Ministry is also preparing studies and projects for 26 additional nursing homes, which are expected to be proposed for construction under the 2027 Presidential Investment Program once their projects are completed.

A new Nursing Homes Regulation took effect on May 6. The 65+ Elderly Rights Association has criticized the regulation, warning that raising the general admission age for ministry-run nursing homes from 60 to 70 could create inequalities and make it harder for some elderly people to access public care services. People 60 to 69 can still qualify if a medical board certifies that they are partly or fully dependent. The new age rules do not apply to people who were already receiving care, had applied or were on waiting lists before the regulation took effect. The association cited ministry data showing that 11,057 people were waiting for places in nursing homes as of June 2025.

The government also plans to expand daytime service centers, allowing elderly people to receive support with daily activities while remaining in their homes and social surroundings. Göktaş said the ministry was revising regulations and developing alternative community-based care models as the elderly population grows.

The need for care is also shaped by the number of elderly people living without close family support. About 1.84 million elderly people lived alone in Turkey in 2025, and 14.3 percent of them had no children living in the same province.

Economic conditions can also affect elderly people’s access to care and support. TurkStat data for 2024 showed that 23.3 percent of Turkey’s elderly population was at risk of poverty or social exclusion, compared with 29.3 percent of the population as a whole. The rate was higher among elderly women, at 24.2 percent, than among elderly men, at 22.3 percent, according to the report.

Women account for 55.3 percent of Turkey’s elderly population, compared with 44.7 percent for men. The gender difference is also reflected in marital status: 83.7 percent of elderly men are married, compared with 46.9 percent of elderly women, while 45.7 percent of elderly women are widowed compared with 10.8 percent of elderly men.

Turkey’s aging population is linked in part to declining fertility and longer life expectancy. The country’s total fertility rate fell to about 1.42 children per woman in 2025, well below the 2.1 level generally considered necessary to maintain a stable population without migration.

The aging trend is expected to continue. TurkStat projects that people aged 65 and over will account for 13.5 percent of Turkey’s population in 2030, 17.9 percent in 2040 and 27 percent in 2060 if current demographic trends continue.