Number of retirees exceeds employed people in 7 provinces
ANKARA
The number of retirees exceeded the number of active insured employees in seven of the country's 81 provinces, according to data from the Social Security Institution (SGK) for 2024.
In 12 provinces, the number of retirees is 90 percent or more of the working population.
The number of provinces where the number of retirees exceeded the number of active employees increased from two in 2022 to six in 2023.
This increase was mainly due to the regulation regarding the retirement age limit, known as EYT.
According to the SGK data, in 2022, only in the Black Sea provinces of Zonguldak and Sinop the number of retirees exceeded the number of active insured employees, including apprentices and trainees.
In 2023, when the EYT law came into effect, Bartın, Giresun, Çorum and Balıkesir were added to these provinces. In 2024, with the inclusion of Artvin, the number of provinces where retirees exceeded the number of active employees reached seven.
In Zonguldak, which is home to a large mining industry, there are 121 retirees for every 100 actively working people, while in Bartın, there are 110 retirees for every 100 employees.
The number of retirees in 12 provinces across Turkey presently accounts for 90 percent or more of the employees in those provinces, according to SGK data.
In the provinces of Edirne, Amasya, Rize, Aydın, Karabük, and Kırklareli, retirees are expected to outnumber active employees in the next few years.
The country’s labor force was estimated at 35.5 million as of January, with 32.5 million people employed.
The labor force participation rate was 53.7 percent, while the unemployment rate was 8.4 percent in January, down from 8.5 percent in the previous month.
