Mersin: population and official figures

In depth

• Economy, jobs and prices in Mersin: GDP per person across the province that contains the city of Mersin was $13,549 (444,761 lira) in 2024, close to the national figure of $15,325; it ranked 13th highest of 33 big-city provinces.
• Health in Mersin: Mersin (figures for the whole province) had 4,018 doctors in 2024, 206 per 100,000 people, 13th lowest of 33 big-city provinces (Turkey: 258); 2,096 of them were specialists.
• Education in Mersin: 19.2% of residents aged 15 and over across the province that contains the city of Mersin held a university or college degree in 2024, 11th highest of 33 big-city provinces (national 19.6%); the share was 18.6% for women and 19.8% for men.
• Poverty and living standards in Mersin: 47,090 homes were sold across the province that contains the city of Mersin in 2024 (24.1 per 1,000 residents, +51% on 2014); 7.7% of the sales were mortgaged.
• Government budget and revenue in Mersin: Central government units across the province that contains the city of Mersin collected 247.7 billion lira of budget revenue in 2025, 126,741 lira per resident (5th highest of 33 big-city provinces), and spent 123.0 billion lira.
• Government and politics in Mersin: Mersin 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 Mersin?

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

• İstanbul 15,840,900
• Ankara 5,747,325
• İzmir 4,425,789
• Bursa 3,147,818
• Antalya 2,619,832
• Konya 2,277,017
• Adana 2,263,373
• Şanlıurfa 2,143,020
• Gaziantep 2,130,432
• Kocaeli 2,033,441
• Diyarbakir 1,791,373
• Hatay 1,670,712
• Manisa 1,456,626
• Kayseri 1,434,357
• Samsun 1,371,274
• Balıkesir 1,250,610

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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