POPULATION AND POLITICS IN NORTH CYPRUS

The report provides a detailed demographic analysis of north Cyprus, estimating the current de jure population at approximately 370,000. It identifies three distinct waves of Turkish immigration: facilitated agricultural settlement (1975-1979), professional and trade-driven migration (1980s), and neoliberal labour migration (1990s-2000s). The author highlights a significant increase in foreign university students and the political polarization resulting from the influence of the Turkish government and the AKP. Additionally, the report challenges claims of mass Turkish Cypriot emigration by analyzing census data from the UK, Australia, and Turkey.

• The de jure population of north Cyprus is estimated to have risen to around 370,000 by 2017, up from 286,257 in the 2011 census. When including Turkish military personnel, their families, and tourists, the average de facto population is expected to exceed 400,000.
• Turkish immigration occurred in three waves: a first facilitated wave (1975-1979) of agricultural labour; a second wave in the 1980s of professionals and traders; and a third wave starting in the 1990s consisting of manual labourers driven by neoliberal market forces.
• The population of foreign university students in north Cyprus grew exponentially between 2011 and 2017, increasing from 36,565 to 87,607. Of these, approximately 55,000 hold Turkish citizenship and over 30,000 are of other nationalities, with a large number from Nigeria and Zimbabwe.
• There is a growing perception among Turkish Cypriots that Turkish nationals on the island are active agents of the Turkish government, specifically the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which uses financial contributions and business interests to influence local policy.
• The report estimates the current 'TRNC' citizen population at 215,000 to 220,000. Of these, approximately 60,000 to 62,000 are estimated to have Turkish ancestry (either born in Turkey or with both parents born in Turkey), while around 150,000 are of native Cypriot heritage.
• Claims of mass Turkish Cypriot emigration are contradicted by census data. The report estimates there are 40,000 to 45,000 Turkish Cypriots in the UK, approximately 7,000 in Australia, and around 10,000 in Turkey.
• The 2011 census was criticized for undercounting due to a social media boycott and the failure to reach certain dwellings. It also omitted questions on religion and language, which the author suggests was intended to maintain the impression of a Sunni Muslim and Turkish-speaking majority.

APA

Hatay, M. (2017). POPULATION AND POLITICS IN NORTH CYPRUS. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/6bb06993-43ca-4b6f-a2fe-ec0df1a8a4a0/Hatay - Population and politics in north Cyprus Cyprus Centre Report 2-2017.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Hatay, Mete. POPULATION AND POLITICS IN NORTH CYPRUS. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2017. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/6bb06993-43ca-4b6f-a2fe-ec0df1a8a4a0/Hatay - Population and politics in north Cyprus Cyprus Centre Report 2-2017.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hatay |first1=Mete |title=POPULATION AND POLITICS IN NORTH CYPRUS |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2017 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/6bb06993-43ca-4b6f-a2fe-ec0df1a8a4a0/Hatay - Population and politics in north Cyprus Cyprus Centre Report 2-2017.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hatay2017population, author = {Hatay, Mete}, title = {{POPULATION AND POLITICS IN NORTH CYPRUS}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2017}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/6bb06993-43ca-4b6f-a2fe-ec0df1a8a4a0/Hatay - Population and politics in north Cyprus Cyprus Centre Report 2-2017.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }