Syrians in Turkey – An Overview

As the Syrian refugee crisis continues, the population of refugees in Turkey continues to rise. According to the latest statistics by the Directorate General of Migration Management (Dec. 7, 2017), the number of Syrian refugees under Temporary Protection Status (TPS) is close to 3.4 million. The number of Syrians under TPS in Turkey have risen every year since the crisis began in 2011. In addition, 48,738 Syrians were granted the residence permit in 2016 whether that be for short-term, education, or work (DGMM, 2017). A little over 46% of the Syrians under TPS are females, whereas the male population stands at over 53%. It should also be noted that a majority of the Syrian population in Turkey is younger with 1.28 million people being between the ages 19 and 39. Over 1.72 million Syrians under TPS are within the working age (19-64). However, a very few number of work permits were given in 2016, the numbers can be found on Brief Overview of the Syrians in Turkey.

Many of the Syrians reside in Turkish cities that are near the Syrian border, however the highest number of Syrians in Turkey reside in Istanbul. This may be due to many different reasons such as the higher number of work opportunities, educational institutes, large Syrian communities, etc. As the population of Syrians in Turkey continues to rise and the crisis turns into a protracted one, it is important that more policies be introduced to promote self-reliance. Programs in line with self-reliance should be introduced by both government and non-government organizations in the future.