Balıkesir: population, economy and official figures
Balıkesir is a province in Balıkesir, Çanakkale, Türkiye. Balıkesir had 1,276,096 residents on 1 January 2025, 69.2% of Balıkesir, Çanakkale and 1.49% of Türkiye; 17th largest of 81 provinces in Türkiye.
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in Balıkesir: GDP per person was 25,200 purchasing power standards (PPS) in 2024, 63% of the EU average (69% for Türkiye); 18th highest of 81 provinces in Türkiye.
- Health in Balıkesir: Balıkesir province had 2,661 doctors in 2024, 209 per 100,000 people, 35th highest of 81 provinces (Turkey: 258); 1,373 of them were specialists.
- Education in Balıkesir: 19.7% of residents aged 15 and over in Balıkesir province held a university or college degree in 2024, 14th highest of 81 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 in Balıkesir province 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 in Balıkesir province collected 63.5 billion lira of budget revenue in 2025, 49,768 lira per resident (18th highest of 81 provinces), and spent 88.6 billion lira.
- Government and politics in Balıkesir: In the local elections of 31 March 2024, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) won the Balıkesir metropolitan mayoralty.
Is the population of Balıkesir growing?
That is 7.3% more people than in 2015 (1,189,057).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow densely populated is Balıkesir?
There were 90 people per square kilometre in 2024.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the median age in Balıkesir?
The median age was 42.3 years in 2025, against 34.4 for Türkiye; 4th highest of 81 provinces in Türkiye.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow old is the population of Balıkesir?
17.5% of residents were 65 or older and 15.6% were under 15 in 2025.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow big is Balıkesir?
It covers 14,367 km².
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the population of Balıkesir?
Balıkesir province’s population was 1,276,096 at the end of 2024, +7.3% on 2014.
Source: Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK, Turkish Statistical Institute) · saved copyAre people moving to Balıkesir?
The net migration rate was +3.7 per 1,000 residents in 2024, while births minus deaths gave a natural change of -1.7 per 1,000.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyFigures come from Türkiye's own official statistics and from Eurostat's regional statistics for NUTS 3 areas. Comparisons with the EU average use purchasing power standards (PPS), which adjust for price differences.
Other provinces in Balıkesir, Çanakkale
- Çanakkale 568,966
Up a level: Balıkesir, Çanakkale · all regions of Türkiye · how local power works in Türkiye
Sources
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_pjangrp3: Population on 1 January (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4c748d3cba3a…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_d3dens: Population density, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f4b59fe9d121…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gdp: GDP per person, PPS (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3bf0fc662f56…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gdp: GDP, million euros (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 096e15e5fdb3…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_pjanind3: Median age of the population (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7bf6ade55a0d…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_pjanind3: Share of people aged 65 or over (NUTS 3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 17aa0d08ab9c…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset reg_area3: Area, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 75302b0aafe9…)
- 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…)
- 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…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset demo_r_gind3: Population change: demographic balance and crude rates by NUTS 3 region, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7548e948e15c…)
- 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…)
- 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…)
- 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…)
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset nama_10r_3gva: Gross value added at basic prices by NUTS 3 region and industry, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c656e8563bdf…)
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