Internal migration statistics for 2022 shared by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜIK) on Monday indicate Istanbul remained the country’s major attraction point for migration, while approximately 2.8 million across the nation have relocated in the past year.

Last year, it was determined that a total of 2,791,156 people migrated between cities in Türkiye, according to the TÜIK’s data. Of this population, 47.9% were male, and 52.1% were female, the data underscored.

At the same time, the intercity migration rate, which was determined at 3.18% in Türkiye during the 2007-2008 period, fluctuated over the years and rose slightly to 3.27% in 2022.

In the distribution of the population migrating between cities in Türkiye, Istanbul, the country's most populous city with a population hovering at around 16 million, was identified as the top province in terms of receiving migrants from other cities, with 385,294 people.

Following Istanbul was the capital Ankara, which accommodated 189,104 people who resettled from other parts of the country, and Izmir with 132,426 people.

TÜIK's data also highlighted that these three provinces marked the highest emigration rates in the stated period. Thus, Istanbul ranked first with 418,082 people who left the metropolis, followed by Ankara with 161,912 people, and Izmir, which stood third with 107,312 of its residents moving in 2022.

The statistical institute data also revealed that Ardahan, situated in the country's northeast was the province that received the least internal migrants – with 5,391 people, while Tunceli in the east had the lowest number of people leaving, at around only 7,578 people. In terms of people departing, Tunceli was followed by Kilis in the southeast and the eastern province of Kars.

The largest internal migration was among people aged between 20 to 24. As per data, some 643,998 people in this age group shifted in the past year. For this age group, the main purpose of migration is university education as thousands of students enroll in universities outside their hometowns every year.

In this young group, it was determined that a whopping 257,676 individuals migrated for educational purposes, while other reasons for internal migration include personal reasons or better housing and living conditions, the statistics underscored.