The number of people aged 65 and over increased by 21.9 percent between 2014 and 2019, reaching a total of 7.55 million people as of last year, the Diken news website reported, citing the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat).
The over-65 age group grew from 8 percent of the population in 2014 to 9.1 percent in 2019.
Women accounted for a majority of the group, with 55.8 percent.
Future projections point to a higher rate of elderly people in the country, with an estimated 10.2 percent in 2023, 12.9 percent in 2030, 16.3 percent in 2040, 22.6 percent in 2060 and 25.6 percent in 2080.
TurkStat considers a 10 percent threshold as an indicator that the population is aging.
Turkish Minute