Bitlis: population, economy and official figures
Bitlis is a province in Van, Muş, Bitlis, Hakkari, Türkiye. Bitlis had 359,808 residents on 1 January 2025, 16.7% of Van, Muş, Bitlis, Hakkari and 0.42% of Türkiye; 55th largest of 81 provinces in Türkiye.
In depth
- Economy, jobs and prices in Bitlis: GDP per person was 12,700 purchasing power standards (PPS) in 2024, 32% of the EU average (69% for Türkiye); 77th highest of 81 provinces in Türkiye.
- Health in Bitlis: Bitlis province had 530 doctors in 2024, 147 per 100,000 people, 11th lowest of 81 provinces (Turkey: 258); 227 of them were specialists.
- Education in Bitlis: 13.8% of residents aged 15 and over in Bitlis province held a university or college degree in 2024, 7th lowest of 81 provinces (national 19.6%); the share was 11.6% for women and 15.9% for men.
- Poverty and living standards in Bitlis: 4,596 homes were sold in Bitlis province in 2024 (12.8 per 1,000 residents, +452% on 2014); 3.9% of the sales were mortgaged.
- Government budget and revenue in Bitlis: Central government units in Bitlis province collected 6.6 billion lira of budget revenue in 2025, 18,439 lira per resident (14th lowest of 81 provinces), and spent 30.0 billion lira.
- Government and politics in Bitlis: Bitlis province’s 6 district mayoralties outside the provincial centre were split in March 2024 as follows: the Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) 5, DEM Parti 1.
Is the population of Bitlis growing?
That is 6.4% more people than in 2015 (338,023).
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow densely populated is Bitlis?
There were 51.6 people per square kilometre in 2024.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the median age in Bitlis?
The median age was 25.9 years in 2025, against 34.4 for Türkiye; 73rd highest of 81 provinces in Türkiye.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow old is the population of Bitlis?
6.1% of residents were 65 or older and 29.7% were under 15 in 2025.
Source: Eurostat · saved copyHow big is Bitlis?
It covers 8,850 km².
Source: Eurostat · saved copyWhat is the population of Bitlis?
Bitlis province’s population was 359,808 at the end of 2024, +6.4% on 2014.
Source: Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK, Turkish Statistical Institute) · saved copyAre people moving to Bitlis?
The net migration rate was -13.7 per 1,000 residents in 2024, while births minus deaths gave a natural change of +13.8 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 Van, Muş, Bitlis, Hakkari
Up a level: Van, Muş, Bitlis, Hakkari · 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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