Balıkesir: population and official figures

In depth

• Economy, jobs and prices in Balıkesir: GDP per person across the province that contains the city of Balıkesir was $14,004 (459,714 lira) in 2024, close to the national figure of $15,325; it ranked 11th highest of 33 big-city provinces.
• Health in Balıkesir: Balıkesir (figures for the whole province) had 2,661 doctors in 2024, 209 per 100,000 people, 14th lowest of 33 big-city provinces (Turkey: 258); 1,373 of them were specialists.
• Education in Balıkesir: 19.7% of residents aged 15 and over across the province that contains the city of Balıkesir held a university or college degree in 2024, 10th highest of 33 big-city provinces (national 19.6%); the share was 18.2% for women and 21.1% for men.
• Poverty and living standards in Balıkesir: 33,532 homes were sold across the province that contains the city of Balıkesir in 2024 (26.3 per 1,000 residents, +44% on 2014); 8.9% of the sales were mortgaged.
• Government budget and revenue in Balıkesir: Central government units across the province that contains the city of Balıkesir collected 63.5 billion lira of budget revenue in 2025, 49,768 lira per resident (14th highest of 33 big-city provinces), and spent 88.6 billion lira.
• Government and politics in Balıkesir: Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality has been run by the Republican People’s Party (CHP) since its candidate won the mayoral race on 31 March 2024.

Who runs Balıkesir?

In Türkiye, cities and towns are run by metropolitan municipalities: Metropolitan mayor and council elected for five years; in other provinces a directly elected provincial council, with the appointed governor heading the executive. Transport, water, major roads, planning and services across a whole province.

How local power works in Türkiye

Cities of a similar size in Türkiye

• Antalya 2,619,832
• Konya 2,277,017
• Adana 2,263,373
• Şanlıurfa 2,143,020
• Gaziantep 2,130,432
• Kocaeli 2,033,441
• Mersin 1,891,145
• Diyarbakir 1,791,373
• Hatay 1,670,712
• Manisa 1,456,626
• Kayseri 1,434,357
• Samsun 1,371,274
• Kahramanmaraş 1,171,298
• Van 1,141,015
• Aydın 1,134,031
• Tekirdağ 1,113,400

Up a level: all cities in Türkiye · Türkiye · government and power

Sources

• United Nations Statistics Division: Demographic Yearbook 2024, Table 8: Population of capital cities and cities of 100 000 or more inhabitants, latest available year, 2005-2024, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0c6784df022e…)
• Hazine ve Maliye Bakanlığı, Muhasebat Genel Müdürlüğü (Ministry of Treasury and Finance): 2025 central government budget revenue and expenditure by province (cumulative to December 2025), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 ee14ab6763f0…)
• Hazine ve Maliye Bakanlığı, Muhasebat Genel Müdürlüğü (Ministry of Treasury and Finance): 2025 local government budget expenditure by institution type and province (municipalities, provincial special administrations, local unions), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a64619ab0792…)
• Hazine ve Maliye Bakanlığı, Muhasebat Genel Müdürlüğü (Ministry of Treasury and Finance): 2025 general budget tax revenue assessed and collected by province (cumulative to December 2025), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 adf424e2695d…)
• Yüksek Seçim Kurulu (YSK, Supreme Election Council), Seçmen Kütüğü Genel Müdürlüğü: Seçim İstatistikleri 2020-2024 (election statistics: 2023 presidential and parliamentary elections, 31 March 2024 local elections), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 cb8acf717c1a…)
• Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK, Turkish Statistical Institute): Bölgesel İstatistikler (Regional Statistics database): 114 indicators for the 81 provinces, 2014-2024 (CSV export), read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 54a60ac62f7a…)

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