The last official census
conducted in Cyprus to include all the islanders was dated 11 December 1960.[1]
Here, the number of Turkish Cypriots was determined as 104,320. The same census
gave a figure of 104,942 for the total Muslim population living on the island.
In this case, it is understood that 475 gypsies and other Muslims, who
generally lived together with the Turkish Cypriot community and were Muslims,
were included in this figure.
Following the inter-communal
clashes that began in December 1963 due to constitutional disputes, the Turkish
Cypriots were separated from the state machinery and a census could not be
conducted in the enclaves where the Turkish Cypriots were living. However,
according to information compiled from a study by Canadian researcher Richard
A. Patrick, who also served in the UN Peace Force in Cyprus, in early 1971,
there were a total of 119,147 Turkish Cypriots living in the Turkish Cypriot
settlements spread over the island.[2]
In the 1973 population
estimates made by the Greek Cypriot administration in Cyprus, the number of
Turkish Cypriots was given as 114,960. [3]
MIGRATION FROM SOUTH TO NORTH
A short while after the
island was divided in two in the summer of 1974, a report dated 20 October 1974
prepared by Ahmet Sami, Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior and
Justice of the "Autonomous Turkish Cypriot Administration", included
the following information:
"A total of 83,719
Turkish Cypriots live in the Autonomous Turkish Cypriot Administration area. A
total of 32,039 Turkish Cypriots remained in the south. Of these, approximately
10 thousand were in the British Sovereign Base Area, 4,200 in Limassol and its
villages, 12, 000 in the district of Paphos, 2,630 in the district of Larnaca,
and 3,209 in the villages of the district of Nicosia. In another part of the
same report, it is stated that approximately 12,000 Turkish Cypriots migrated
to the north by their own means until 19 October 1974."
In this case, there were
71,719 Turkish Cypriots living in the north and 44,039 Turkish Cypriots living
south of the division line, making a total of 115,758 Turkish Cypriots. This
figure is essentially close to the number given in Patrick's study.
A report in the Zaman
newspaper dated 9 August 1977 stated that Hakkı Atun, the Minister of
Settlement and Rehabilitation of the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus (TFSC),
announced that 20,934 families, or 83,650 people, were settled in the north in
the three-year period between 1974 and 1977. Since the number of Turkish
Cypriot immigrants from the south was determined as 44,039 in October 1974, it
is understood that the remaining 39,611 people were settlers brought from
Turkey.
SETTLERS BROUGHT FROM TURKEY
In October 1974, Turkish
immigrants were first brought to the occupied part of the island to work in the
gardens and hotels left by the Greek Cypriots. In January 1975, this situation
was expanded with the settlement of the families of those who were martyred in
the 1974 war. Those who were discharged from the military and wanted to settle
in Cyprus were also added to these. After the signing of the “Agricultural
Labour Protocol” in February 1975, the first wave of immigration from Turkey
began. A secret regulation was published under the title of “Regulation on the
Elimination of the Labour Deficit in the Region”, prepared upon the request of
the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus. It was stated there that even if all the
Turkish Cypriots living south of the division line were to come to the north,
there would not be enough labour force and therefore the northern part should
be filled with the population brought to the island from Turkey as soon as
possible.
Citizenship was granted to
all those brought from Anatolia and settled in the part of the island occupied
by the Turkish Armed Forces by the decision of the “Council of Ministers” of
the Turkish Administration. In addition, the houses and lands of the Greek
Cypriots who were forced to leave their ancestral homes were distributed. They
were not allowed to leave the places they settled for at least five years. If
they left, everything given to them would be taken back from them. Those who
could not adapt to the new local conditions later returned to Turkey, but the
vast majority remained on the island. According to a study, 82,500 Turkish
settlers were settled in the occupied part of Cyprus between 1975 and 1979.
However, 20-25% of them could not adapt and returned to Anatolia. [4]
POLITICAL ORGANIZATION OF TURKISH SETTLERS
This group, who were settled
in the part of the island occupied by the Turkish military and made citizens of
the separatist state, initially participated in general elections with the
political parties they founded. The Turkish settlers, who participated in the
1981 elections with the Reformist Welfare Party and the Turkish Unity Party,
founded by retired Turkish officers, came together under the single roof of the
New Birth Party (YDP) in January 1984 with the help of the Turkish Embassy in
Nicosia.
These parties, supported by
the votes of the Turkish settlers, took part in coalition governments during
the periods when the ruling party lost power, ensuring the continuation of the
established order.
Thanks to the 8% vote
threshold election system, which was tried in the separatist state in 1985
without being implemented in Turkey, the National Unity Party-UBP- (36.7%),
which had 25 deputies instead of 18, joined the coalition with the New Birth
Party-YDP- (8.7%), which had 4 deputies, and the ruling party was able to
maintain its majority until the end of April 1988.
After Aytaç Beşeşler, the
Party Chairman and Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, lost the election at
the YDP Congress, three YDP deputies resigned from their party. One of them
later returned to the YDP, while the other two joined the UBP. The new leader
of the YDP was Orhan Üçok, a member of the Party Assembly of the True Path
Party (DYP), who came to the island to participate in the congress and won the
election. In other words, he was one of those who maintained both Turkish and
TRNC citizenship.
POPULATION OF TURKISH CYPRIOTS IN THE 1990’S
In my study titled “What is
the population of Turkish Cypriots?” published in Söz magazine on 31
October1986, I stated that the number of Turkish Cypriots, which was announced
as 115,758 on 20 October 1974, had increased to 157,984 by the end of 1984 and
that 47,186 Turkish citizens were settled in Northern Cyprus as of 1983. By
1994, it was estimated that this number had reached 100,000.
In an article in which I
criticized the fact that the number of immigrants brought from Turkey to Cyprus
and made to vote was kept secret and never published before the general census
conducted for the preparation of the electoral rolls prior to the Presidential
and General Elections held in the spring of 1996, I wrote the following:
“The participation of dual nationals
in the elections, who have been preventing the true will of the Turkish
Cypriots from being reflected in the election results for years, should be
opposed and a definite stance should be taken regarding the elements whose
existence prevents the Cyprus problem from being resolved in the interest of
the Cypriots. Another issue should be to make a definite decision not to go to
the elections with an anti-democratic election law.” [5]
The opposition parties, the
Republican Turkish Party (CTP) and the Communal Liberation Party (TKP), which received a
total of 57.2% of the votes in the 1985 general elections, participated in the
elections under the name of the Democratic Struggle Party (DMP), which was
formed by Turkish immigrants together with the New Birth Party, and the three
parties could only reach 44.4% of the votes. The entry into Parliament of two
MPs of YDP origin from DMP who gambled and lost by saying “the anti-democratic
election law may be beneficial for us” and two MPs who won from the TKP list
(E. Vehbi and İ. Kotak), caused the party to disintegrate in this election.
When the 7 MPs of CTP and the remaining 5 MPs of TKP refused to take office on
the grounds that “we will not be extra members in Parliament”, their seats were
filled by UBP candidates (except for one) in the by-elections that were held.
The articles I wrote to draw
attention to the problem created by the Turkish settler population who moved to
the part of the island occupied by Turkey and were made citizens and allowed to
vote were not given much importance. [6] On the other hand, CTP officials
created a definition that Turkish immigrants were also “labourers with
calloused hands” and, moreover, they integrated with the party of TKP and
Turkish settlers (YDP) and entered the 1990 elections under the name of
“Democratic Struggle Party” (DMP). But when their calculations did not prove
right, they decided to boycott the Parliament, which led to the 1991 midterm
elections. This increased the number of seats of the UBP in the 50-person
Parliament from 34 to 45.
HIDING THE CHANGE IN THE DEMOGRAPHIC STRUCTURE
The Turkish Cypriot
population, which was 104,942 in 1960 and 115,758 in 1974, was shown together
with immigrants of Turkish origin as of July 1974, and in the census conducted
on 26.5.1990 to determine the number of voters, this figure reached 173,224.
When asked why the 1990 census results were not announced in detail, Rauf
Denktaş, the head of the regime established in the north of Cyprus, said,
"If we announced it, it would be clear who came from where." [7]
It is a well-known fact that
the population transfers carried out in violation of the Geneva Convention to
the territory under Turkish military control in the north of Cyprus since 1974
have disrupted the demographic structure. The legal status of an occupying
power over the territory it occupies, as well as its rights and
responsibilities, are regulated by international agreements. These were
specified one by one in the 4th Geneva Convention for the Protection of Civilian
Persons in Time of War, dated 12 August 1949.
A report was prepared by
Spanish socialist parliamentarian Alfons Cuco on behalf of the Committee on
Migration, Immigration and Population of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe regarding the population, transferred to the north of Cyprus
by the occupying Turkey after 1974. According to this report, dated 27 April
1992 and titled “Demographic Structure of Cypriot Communities”, between 1974
and 1990, the population in the south of the Republic of Cyprus increased by
only 13.70%, while the population in the north increased by 48.5%! The report,
referring to UN Representative Camilion, stated that in addition to 30 thousand
Turkish military units, a civilian population of 40-45 thousand people was transferred
to the occupied northern region, and that 40 thousand Turkish Cypriots left the
occupied region for various reasons.
The Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe, which discussed the Cuco Report, in its
recommendation numbered 1197, adopted on 7 October 1992, instructed the
European Population Committee to determine the population of the island in
cooperation with the relevant authorities and to obtain reliable data instead
of population estimates. In the meantime, the Republic of Cyprus and the
Turkish Cypriot Administration were requested to keep a definitive record of
foreigners entering the island and the Turkish Embassy in Cyprus to keep
records of Turkish citizens residing in Cyprus and visiting the island.
Unfortunately, no census could be carried out in the north of the island under
the supervision of international organizations in the intervening period and
the number of Turkish Cypriots who were settled in the north or were living
illegally could not be determined. The general elections of 12 December 1993,
which were decided to be held after Rauf Denktaş was squeezed in the UN peace
talks and the CTP was pulled even further to the right after the Democrat Party
emerged from the UBP, were held under conditions where the YDP, the party of
Turkish immigrants, was dissolved into Denktaş’s new party, the DP.
Before the decision to hold
early elections and the amendment of the election law, the opposition parties,
who had demanded that a census be held and especially the number of immigrants
of Turkish origin be announced, withdrew their demands when the election mood
began. For some reason, no political party touched on this issue after the
election results were announced. However, in the census conducted on 19
September 1993, it was announced that the population was 155,994 and the number
of voters was determined as 106,688, but no information was given about Turkish
immigrants. No one even mentioned the headline in the Kıbrıs newspaper
published the day after the census, which read “We are approaching 200
thousand.” However, what we heard was that the population had reached 204
thousand.
The data of the first
population census, conducted by the Turkish Cypriot authorities on 15 December
1996 and evaluated at the Turkish State Institute of Statistics in Ankara, was
only announced two years later. Accordingly, the de facto (actual, not based on
residence) population was 200,587 people. Since the question "permanent
place of residence" was also included in the questionnaire, the de jure (based
on residence) population was reported as 188,662 people. Prime Ministry
Planning Organization Undersecretary Ahmet Bulunç, who made the statement, said
that the difference of 11,925 people was due to the fact that people who were
in the TRNC on the day of the census declared that their permanent place of
residence was outside the TRNC. [8]
The demographic structure of
the population at the end of 1996 was given as follows:
Total..................
200,857 100%
TRNC nationals..............
164,460 82%
TRNC
born..................... 137,398
TC
born........................... 23,924
3rd country
born................ 3,138
TC
nationals..................... 30,702 15%
Students..............................
8,287
Employees........................
12,922
Unemployed.......................
1,327
Other (employed, income
earners,
retired
etc.).......................... 8,166
Other
nationals.................... 5,425 3%
The number of Greek Cypriots
living in the north was 384 and the number of Maronite Cypriots was 173.
As can be seen from the
figures above, it was not stated how many children were born in the TRNC to
parents born in the TRNC. Furthermore, no mention was made of the families of
approximately 35 thousand soldiers and officers of the Turkish Armed Forces on
the island. The number of illegal workers, whose number was estimated at 25-30
thousand at the time, also shows that the figure stated as the de facto
population was low. In a news report given with reference to some officials who
did not want to be named, it was stated that the number of people who were
granted citizenship in Northern Cyprus since 1974 was around 46 thousand, and
that 20-25 thousand of these people did not permanently reside in the TRNC.[9]
Among these were also famous politicians and members of parliament from
Turkey.[10] According to the statements of Kenan Akın, who is of Turkish origin
and served as Minister of Agriculture and Forestry in the TRNC government,
there were 60 thousand Turkish immigrants in the TRNC.[11]
In the elections of 12 December 1993, which took place after the New Birth Party joined the Democrat Party,
which was formed by Rauf Denktaş's son in 1992 with those who left the UBP, 4
of the 15 seats won by the DP belonged to Turkish immigrants. It was striking that
76 (22%) of the 351 candidates who ran in the same elections were born in the
Republic of Turkey.
After the results of the
early general elections of 12 December 1993 were announced, I wrote an article
titled “Election Results Do Not Reflect the Will of Turkish Cypriots” and made
the following assessment:
“Of the 351 candidates for
parliament, 1 of whom was independent and 350 of whom were members of 7
parties, 76 (22%) were born in Turkey. Of the 50 elected MPs, 4 were of Turkish
origin and all were elected from the Democrat Party. In the final analysis, it
can be said that “Denktaş” won the election.”[12]
IN 1998, “40% OF THE POPULATION WAS OF TURKISH ORIGIN”
In the general elections of
December 6, 1998, 61 (17%) of the 352 candidates who were candidates were born
in Turkey. Moreover, it was reflected in the press that there were fierce
discussions between immigrants of Turkish origin and Turkish Cypriots during
the determination of the MP candidates within the DP. The unrest in the DP,
which emerged from the loss of votes in the parliamentary elections, brought
forward the idea of reviving the New Birth Party of Turkish origin, which
merged with the DP in 1992 and became history. In a paid advertisement given to
the press by these disgruntled people, they protested "the cunning
division of the votes of a large segment of the population, representing 40%
[13] or approximately one third of the population, and the prevention of the
fair and balanced representation of this segment in the Parliament." [14]
THE EXACT NUMBER OF TURKISH CYPRIOTS CANNOT BE KNOWN
Since the 137,398 TRNC
citizens, born in Cyprus given in the 1996 census results above, include those
of Turkish origin, this number also prevents reaching an exact figure regarding
the Turkish Cypriot population in the TRNC.
Mustafa Miralay, Director of
the TRNC Immigration Department, stated that approximately 49 thousand people
were granted TRNC citizenship between 1984 and 1999, and that the number of
those granted citizenship between 1974 and 1984 is unknown due to "no
records being kept", and that the Council of Ministers has so far granted
citizenship to many people, including some Turkish ministers, members of
parliament and artists. The newspapers reporting Miralay's statement also used
the following headlines: "It was reported that some of those who were made
citizens by the decision of the Council of Ministers never came to the TRNC...
While an average of 3,300 people are made citizens in the TRNC every year,
approximately 30% of our new citizens live outside the island." [15]
A day later, in statements
made by the Prime Minister and the Minister of the Interior on the subject, it
was claimed that "Miralay made a historical error due to a slip of the
tongue", and it was claimed that 49 thousand people were made citizens
since 1974, not 1984, and it was stated that "it is impossible not to keep
records, all citizens are registered". [16]
Although there is no
reliable official number of official citizenships granted to settlers from
Anatolia, Arif Albayrak (CTP), a member of parliament, stated in the Kıbrıs
newspaper on 23 October 2003 that the total number of citizenships granted
between 1974 and 14 October 2003 was 53,904.
The Birlik newspaper on 24
October 2003 also gave the following details of citizenships granted after
1994, a total of 17,293 persons: By decision of the “Council of Ministers”:
3,675; with approval of the “Ministry of Interior”: 7,272; as third generation:
2,246; through marriage: 1,971; citizens of a third country: 1,142; Bulgarian
Turks: 987.
A total of 10,203 persons
were granted citizenship due to marriage in 2004, but the number of those who
received citizenship due to “spouse and child” was 4,480.
The CTP was very critical of
this practice when the party was in opposition, but during the CTP governments
(2013-2016), the granting of “TRNC” citizenship to Turkish settlers continued.
796 people became citizens by the decision of the “TRNC” Council of Ministers.
(Including natural means, this number was 3,916 people in total.)
During the UBP-DP coalition
governments (2016-2017), 7,200 Turkish citizens were granted “TRNC”
citizenship. If each person is multiplied by 4 (spouse and at least 2
children), this number becomes 28,000 new citizens.
According to the 2011
census, the total population living permanently on the island was: 286,257
people. Their breakdown by place of birth was as follows:[17]
Born in TRNC + RoC: 160,207
Born in TR: 104,641
Born in 3rd country: 14,933
Born in UK: 6,476
RESULTS OF CHANGE IN DEMOGRAPHIC STRUCTURE
The results of various
censuses conducted in the Turkish-controlled area in the north of Cyprus since
1974 and the number of voters who voted in the general elections are given
below [18]:
DATE POPULATION
NUMBER OF VOTERS
11 December 1960 (Census) 104,942
5 July 1970 (Presidential) 110.000
63,500
Early 1971 119,147
1973 (RoC est.) 114,960
20 November 1974 115,758
- (parents born in Cyprus: 98,000)
8 June 1975 (Referandum) 126,949 52,926
20 June 1976 (General) 130,136 75,724
20 July 1976(Pres.) 75,781
28 June 1981(G) 151,233
84,721
28 July 1981(P) 84,721
5 May 1985 (Ref.) 157,984
91,810
23 June 1985 (G) 93,934
9 July1985 (P) 160,287 95,124
22 April 1990 (P) 171,469
101,306
6 May 1990 (G) 173,224
103,218
13 October 1991 (Interim) 173,224 106,303
12 December 1993 (Early) 177,120 108,370
15-22 April 1995 (P) 181,363 113,440
8 February 1998 162,482
122,574
23 June 1998 (Local) 163,610
6 December 1998 163,860
126,675
15 April 2000(P) 170,416
126,675
30 June 2002 (Loc.) 177,416
14 December 2003 (G) 183,604
141,596
24 April 2004 (Annan Ref.) 184,350
143,639
20 February 2005 (P) 188,372
147,249
(both parents born in
CY:120,007)
25 June 2006 (L) 191,388
151,635
19 April 2009 (G) 200,466
161,373
18 April 2010 (P) 203,260
164,072
Official 2011 census: de jure: 286,257 -de facto: 294,906 (excluding
military)
190,494 TRNC citizens (=only
TRNC: 136.362 + dual TRNC+TR: 38.085 + dual TRNC+ other: 16.047)
Results of the 2nd Stage of the 2011 Population and Housing Census (Ali
Korhan):
Born in CY: 160,207 (%56) +
born in TR: 104,641 (%36.6)= 264,848
Born in UK: 6.476 + born in
other countries: 14.933= 21.305+264.848=286.257
total de jure population
July 28, 2013 (early
G) 214,040 172,528
May
25, 2014 ROCy EUP Elections 58,642 TC voters
June 29, 2014
(L) 175,258
IN TRNC, NUMBER OF REGISTERED TR VOTERS IN FOR THE
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS HELD IN TR ON AUGUST 10, 2014: 92,171
April 30, 2015 (P) 218,609
176,980
2017 230,747
190,551
(Citizens made
citizens between 1974 and March 2017: 76,181 people)
January 7, 2018
(eG) 252,497
191,553
IN TRNC, THE NUMBER
OF REGISTERED CITIZENS FOR THE GENERAL ELECTIONS HELD IN THE TURKEY ON JUNE 7,
2015: 94,135 PEOPLE
IN TRNC, THE
NUMBER OF REGISTERED CITIZENS FOR THE GENERAL ELECTIONS HELD IN THE TURKEY ON
NOVEMBER 1, 2015: 95,366 PEOPLE
IN TRNC, THE
NUMBER OF REGISTERED TR CITIZENS FOR THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT REFERENDUM
HELD IN THE TURKEY ON APRIL 16, 2017: 104,509 PEOPLE
IN TRNC, THE
NUMBER OF REGISTERED TR CITIZENS FOR JUNE 18, 2018 GENERAL ELECTIONS HELD IN
TR: 106,506 PEOPLE
-Population:
343,000 people (Mustafa Akıncı said: “This is the figure the Minister of
Interior gave me at the beginning of March 2019. Then the Minister of Interior
announced it as 350,000. In this case, the number of our citizens increased by
130 thousand in 3.5 years. While previous governments granted citizenship to
approximately a thousand people per month, the current government grants it to
400-500 people per month” (27 March 2019-YD- The Minister of Interior had given
Akıncı the population figure of 220,000 before the talks in 2016.)
-351,000
citizens, 61 thousand people outside the country = 290 thousand people TRNC
citizens living in the country. (Kudret Özersay, 15 March 2019 – YD)
-372,486 people
(State Planning Organization, Cenk Mutluyakalı, 17 March 2019, YD)
- Ayşegül Baybars
: Foreigners staying in the country with permission = 62,381 people (53,844
with work permits + 542 with business establishment permits + 4,297 with
companion permits + 3,698 with visitor permits) + 90.438 (54.966 TR+35.472
other) students with permission=TOTAL: 152.819 people with permission + 252,497
TRNC citizens = 405.316 people (Bugün
newspaper, 26 March 2019 and Gündem Kıbrıs, 9 October 2019)
-2018-19 academic year (14 Universities):
TRNC nationals
12,508 + TR nationals 54,875 + 3rd country nationals 35,318= TOTAL: 102,701 university students
(Only 85,000 of 102,701 students were active students (=12,000 TRNC+45,000
TC+28,000 3rd country)
-2019-20 academic year (22 Universities=16 local, 4 foreign-sourced, 2 higher vocational
schools):
TRNC nationals
(-265) 12,243 + TR nationals (-4,689) 50,286 + 3rd country (+5,901) 41,219 (from 140 countries = 7,916
Nigeria, 3,405 Jordan + Syria, Cameroon, Iran, Iraq, Zimbabwe Pakistan, Congo,
Libya, Egypt, Palestine) TOTAL: 103,748
(91,505 foreigner university students)
5,755 lecturers (2,195 from TR and 982 3rd country citizens = 3,177
foreigners) - There were a total of 94,682 foreigners in universities.
May
26, 2019 RoC EUP elections 81,611 TC voters
October 11, 2020
(P) 198,867
TOTAL EMPLOYMENT: Number of
people employed in the private sector in 2018 (Kıbrıs, 13 and 16 October 2019):
TRNC citizens 11,738 (workers, employers, public workers) + TR citizens 33,255
+ 14,657 from 3rd countries (total 47,912 registered foreign workers)= TOTAL:
59,650 people + Number of people employed in the state sector: 82,761= 132,411
people (+6,742 illegal workers (%5) or 8,930 illegal workers (%20-40)
End of 2019 de facto POPULATION ESTIMATE:
TRNC citizens 252,496
Foreigners with permits
62,381
Uni. foreigners 94,682
Illegal workers 8,930 TOTAL:
418,489 people
Soldiers and their families
45,000 people
RESULT: Approximately 465,000 people live in the northern occupation
territory of Cyprus.
***
August 3, 2021
(interim) 382,836 199,029 (+
Non-citizen:95,606=478,442 people)
359,692 people
are citizens (mother-father Cy. Born: 131,556) (Under 18: 65,219)
198,867
(126,000 CY +
256,000 TR) (75,000 CY +
124,000 TR)
128,512 -CY and
EU- citizens)
November
2021 245,869
(+foreigners=382,000 people)
End of 2021 projection: 390,745
January 23, 2022
(eG) 203,792
Before the local
elections in Dec’ 22 203.183(= 81.600 CY+121.583 TR)
December 25,
2022 (L) 208,236
May 12, 2023 209,837
June 25, 2023
(By-election) 210,121
On 8 October
2022, the GC press wrote: 105,252 IDs
and 92,000 passports were received by the TCs from the RoC. (Evrensel, 20
July 2024, information from Hüseyin Yalyali)
THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED TR VOTERS IN THE TRNC FOR THE
14 MAY 2023 TR GENERAL ELECTIONS: 140,680. (Of the 240
thousand Turkish citizens living in the TRNC, 142 thousand registered as
overseas voters. – Özgül Çelik, EMU Business Administration graduate-Dersim/TR)
End of Year Projection Population: (TRNC Statistical Institute)
2019 420,556
2020 419,810
2021 448,268
2022 462,747
2023 476,214
Number of Turkish citizens registered in the TRNC in
the 2022 Turkish General Elections: 140,680 people. (In
2014, it was 92,171 people.)
June
9, 2024 ROC AP elections 103,281 TC voters
Number of foreigners staying with a residence permit
at the end of 2024:
104,278 people (64,161 student permits + 12,465 family residence permits +
7,652 short-term permits + 1,020 permanent permits (Yenidüzen, 13 December
2024)
-Ayşegül Baybars
(Ex-Minister of Interior): Over 30.000 people were granted citizenship in 4
years from 2020 to 2024. (YD, 17 December 2024)
- According to official
data, active insured and minimum wage
workers: 159,321 people (TRNC nationals: 76,550 + Foreign nationals: 82,771
+ TR nationals: 44,172 + Other country nationals: 38,599) (TRNC Central Bank
Bulletin, 4th Quarter/2024)
ILLEGALLY LIVING: 82,606 PEOPLE (YD, 28 June 2024) Ürün Solyalı (MP): More than 100 thousand people are
illegal or have not made any transactions - Özgür Gazete, 5 July 2024)
- Total number of students
who have not made any transactions: 48,517
- Total number of residence
permit holders who have not made any transactions: 33,789
- Number of people with
illegal status in prison: 300
Illegal workers
10,300 people + 9,500 people whose procedures are not completed + 2,000 people
whose residence permits are not renewed
3RD COUNTRY NATIONALITIES WITH WORK PERMITS (Total: 32,948 people, from 109 countries) Vatan
Mehmet, Kibris Postasi, 1 December 2024)
The nationalities with the most work permits are as
follows: Pakistan: 9,868 people, Bangladesh: 6,720 people, Turkmenistan: 6,241
people. These countries
are among the countries known to work intensively, especially in the
construction, service and agriculture sectors. Other highlighted data is as
follows; Notable in the top 10: Countries such as Iran (1,299 people),
Philippines (596 people) and Nigeria (431 people) are also high on the list. European
countries such as Ukraine (467 people), Russia (365 people) and Moldova (218
people) also constitute the workforce in the TRNC. Countries with low
representation: Only 1 person each from countries such as Switzerland, Japan,
Kuwait and Malta is in the TRNC with a work permit. [19]
-Total number of people receiving salaries
from the Central Budget in January 2025: 45,758 (YD, February 24, 2025)
-Number of retirees receiving salaries
from the Social Insurance Department in January 2022: Nearly 48 thousand.
-Total number of university students in the 2023-24
academic year: 108,180
(65-70 thousand of 110,266 students are active, 32% are missing-illegal (YD,
Salih Sarpten, February 26, 2024))
- 14,594 TRNC (14,498)
- 93,586 foreigners - 49,047
TC (44,562)
44,539 3rd country (51,206)
According to the
Immigration Department: There are 63,613 foreign
students. (Where are 29,973 students?) - Sami Özuslu's speech in the
Parliament - Cenk Mutluyakalı, YD, March 14, 2024),
AT THE BEGINNING OF 2025, POPULATION ESTIMATE IN THE
OCCUPIED REGION OF CYPRUS: At least 650 thousand people (476,214
Official population projection + 104,278 foreigners with permits (December 13,
2024-YD) + 82,606 unauthorized, unregistered, illegal foreigners (June 28,
2024-YD) = 645,869 people)
There were 210.121 registered voters for the
by-election on 25 June 2023. We can estimate that 75.000 of them were TCs and
the remaining 135.000 were Turkish settlers!
References:
[1] Census of Population and
Agriculture 1960, Government Printing Office, Nicosia
[2] Political Geography and
the Cyprus Conflict 1963-1971, Ontario, 1976
[3] George Karouzis,
Proposal for a solution to the Cyprus Problem, Nicosia 1976, p.13
[4] The details of this
settlement were recorded by two Turkish scientists, Hatice Kurtuluş and Semra
Purkis, under the title “The Social Exclusion of Immigrants through
Citizenship, Identity and Belonging: Being a Turkish citizen in Northern
Cyprus!” A 41-page summary of the 300-page Project studies conducted between
2007-2009: “The Nature of Turkish Migration to Northern Cyprus and the
Economic, Socio-Spatial Integration Problems of Migrants”, 2010 Scientific and
Technical Research Council (TÜBİTAK) Project Number: 106K330, in the book
titled “History, Classes and the City” edited by Besime Şen and Ali Ekber
Doğan, Dipnot Publications, Istanbul 2010, 465-506
[5] Demokrat, January 10,
1996
[6] a. What is the
population of Turkish Cypriots? Söz Magazine, October 31, 1986
b. The deterioration of the
demographic structure in Cyprus and Turkish immigrants, Demokrat, December 28,
1988
c. Towards the census and
election, Demokrat, January 10, 1990
d. Election results do not
reflect the will of the Turkish Cypriots, Yeni Çağ, 27 December 1993
[7] Yeni Düzen, 23 July 1993
[8] Kıbrıs, 28 November 1997
[9] Avrupa, 31 January 1998
[10] Ortam, 17 October 1996
[11] Avrupa, 6.6.1998
[12] Yeni Çağ, 27 December
1993
[13] Kıbrıs, 15 December
1998
[14] Hürriyet-Kıbrıs, 22
December 1998
[15] Kıbrıs, 2 June 1999
[16] Kıbrıs, 3 June 1999
[17] Kıbrıs Postası, 13
August 2013
[18] “Written Evidence” by
Ahmet Djavit An as published in the Second Report (22 February 2005) of the
Select Committee on Foreign Affairs of the British Parliament
[19] Vatan Mehmet, Kibris
Postasi (1 December 2024) Total list: Pakistan 9,868, Bangladesh 6,720,
Turkmenistan 6,241, Iran 1,299, Philippines 596, Kyrgyzstan 516, Nepal 484,
Ukraine 467, Nigeria 431, Uzbekistan 416, Sri Lanka 392, Russia 365, Kazakhstan
352, India 286, Indonesia 256, Azerbaijan 256, Moldova 218, Belarus 173, United
Kingdom 169, Cameroon 160, Vietnam 103, Georgia 99, Bulgaria 98, Morocco 78,
Syria 76, Germany 52, Jordan 51, Zimbabwe 47, Guinea 45, Ireland 37, Czech
Republic 37, Tajikistan 36, Afghanistan 35, Sierra Leone 34, Egypt 32, Lebanon
30, Uganda 29, Romania 28, Congo 28, China 28, Palestine 25, Ghana 22, Kenya
22, Uzbekistan 21, Brazil 19, United States 18, Algeria 16, Israel 15, Iraq 14,
Thailand 13, Tanzania 12, Senegal 12, Lithuania 12, Democratic Republic of the
Congo 11, Gambia 10, Ethiopia 10, Australia 9, Kosovo 9, Sweden 9, Italy 9,
South Africa 9, Libya 8, Colombia 8, Macedonia 8, Ivory Coast 8, Slovenia 7,
Andorra 7, Liberia 6, Spain 6, Sudan 6, Georgia 6, Yemen 6, Rwanda 5, Hungary 5,
Cuba 5, Albania 5, Belgium 5, Finland 5, France 4, Austria 4, Angola 4, Central
African Republic 4, Canada 4, Poland 4, Mongolia 4, Monaco 4, Saudi Arabia 4,
Tunisia 4, Namibia 3, Central African Republic 3, Greece 3, Togo Republic 3,
Serbia 3, Zambia 3, Mali Republic 3, Montenegro 2, Slovakia 2, Latvia 2,
Portugal 2, Venezuela 2, Cyprus 2, Netherlands 2, Honduras 2, United Arab
Emirates 2, Bosnia & Herzegovina 2, Denmark 2, Ecuador 2, Dominican
Republic 1, Bahamas 1, Argentina 1, Hong Kong 1, Croatia 1, Haiti 1, Japan 1,
Cambodia 1, Switzerland 1, Kuwait 1, Malta 1, Mexico 1, Uruguay 1, Suriname 1,
Somalia 1, Paraguay 1, Mozambique 1, Djibouti 1, Zaire 1, Saudi Arabia 1,
Myanmar 1, West African Rep. 1, Burkina Faso 1.
(This research article was read on 8 April 2025 at a seminar, organized
by the Department of Turkish and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Cyprus,
Nicosia.)
