Less than half a million people immigrated to Türkiye in 2022, marking a significant decline compared to the previous year, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜIK) announced Monday in its annual migration report.

The number of immigrants fell by 33.2% year-over-year to 494,052 people, 52.9% of whom were male and 47.1% were females, the institute’s data showed.

When the immigrant population of 2022 was examined by citizenship, 94,409 persons were Turkish citizens and 399,643 persons were foreign nationals.

Most notably, citizens of Russia took the first place in foreign migration population with 25%, revealing a stark change in the nationalities of immigrants and emigrants arriving in Türkiye, which has been receiving asylum-seekers from mostly Syria and Afghanistan in recent years.

Ukrainian nationals fleeing Russian aggression since February 2022, trailed right after with 8.1%, as Iran followed with 6.5%, Afghanistan with 5.4% and Iraq with 4.8%, TÜIK said.

Statistics in the meantime showed 466,914 people emigrated from Türkiye in 2022, a 62.3% increase compared to 2021. Of these, 139,531 persons were Turkish citizens and 327,383 persons were foreign nationals.

On the other hand, Iraqi citizens took the first place in the foreign emigrant population with 20%. This group was followed by citizens of Iran with 10.6%, Uzbekistan with 7%, Afghanistan with 6% and Turkmenistan with 4.8%.

According to TÜIK, 12.2% of the immigrant population was in the 25-29 age group in 2022, followed by the 20-24 age group with 11.7% and the 30-34 age group with 11.3%.

As for the emigrant population, 15.8% of the over 460,000 people were in the 25-29 age group, followed 30-34 age group with 13.4% and 20-24 age group with 12.8%.

Istanbul remained the top host of refugees and emigrants in 2022, as well, drawing 35.4% of all new arrivals. The southern resort city of Antalya, historically popular with Russians and Ukrainians, followed with 14.8% of immigrants. The Turkish capital Ankara came third with 5.4% while western metropolitan Bursa claimed 3.9% and southern Mersin province took 3.8% of the immigrants in 2022.

The tableau looked similar for the emigrant population, as well. Istanbul had the largest group with a proportion of 39.5%, followed by Ankara with 9.8%, Antalya with 6.7%, northwestern Samsun with 3.4% and western Izmir with 3%.

Previous years

The figures confirmed an abating migration flow to Türkiye, which had seen immigrant and emigrant arrivals dwindle by 49.7% in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic was nearing its peak. In 2021, arrivals soared by 116.9% as some 739,364 people immigrated to Türkiye.

Apart from Iraqi nationals, which compromised 12.1% of total immigrants that year, Türkiye also welcomed refugees from Iran with 10.9%, Uzbekistan with 6.5%, Syria with 6% and Afghanistan with 5.5%. The Taliban’s takeover and the relative easing of lockdown measures were among the factors that spurred the Afghan migration flow.

Iraqi people also pulled the lead among foreign nationals who emigrated from Türkiye in 2021, making up 21.8% of 287,651 people. Afghan nationals covered 6.7% while Iran came third with 5.6%, Syria with 5.2% and Turkmenistan with 4.9%, TÜIK said last year.

Some 103,613 Turkish citizens too emigrated from Türkiye in 2021.

Istanbul welcomed the highest number of immigrants and emigrants in 2021, too, followed by Antalya, Ankara, Bursa and Mersin. Most immigrants were in the 20-24 age group while most emigrants were in the 25-29 age group.

Irregular migration

The number of people forced to flee conflict, violence, human rights violations and persecution has now crossed the staggering milestone of 100 million for the first time on record, propelled by the war in Ukraine and other deadly conflicts, according to a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) report last year. Not since World War II has such a massive wave of human dislodgement taken place within Europe.

Türkiye is home to a total of 4,893,752 million foreigners, 4 million of whom are displaced people and Syrians under temporary protection status who streamed into the country from its southeastern neighbor when a civil war broke out more than a decade ago.

In addition to legitimate asylum applications, Türkiye also receives scores of irregular migrants due to its strategic location as a gateway from broader Asia and the Middle East to Europe.

Ankara views "international injustice" as the leading cause of irregular migration. Turkish officials say improving conditions in the countries where illegal migrants hail from is necessary, along with the need for voluntary returns in line with international standards for intercepted irregular migrants.

Türkiye sees the issue as something which needs international cooperation and seeks to establish bilateral, regional and international groups to ensure the cooperation.

On Sunday, it joined more than 20 nations and international organizations to launch the "Rome Process" to prevent and tackle irregular migration and human trafficking.

Furthermore, TÜIK’s report came after a recent surge in anti-refugee rhetoric stoked by opposition figures like Ümit Özdağ who has been claiming that there were 17 million migrants in Türkiye and advocating for the forced return of Syrian refugees, as well as people of other nationalities who he claims "invaded" Türkiye.

The existence of refugees and migrants became campaign material earlier this year amid economic turmoil, including high inflation ahead of the May elections in Türkiye. The issue of their repatriation was used with harsh rhetoric by opposition figures to appeal to nationalist voters.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan too has pledged the repatriation of Syrian refugees but insists that it will be "safe, voluntary and dignified," only after stability and security are upheld in Syria. His government is engaged in rebuilding projects in Syria’s north, liberated from terrorists with Turkish army assistance, to encourage the return of refugees.