Istanbul’s population more than 131 countries: UN body

By Zeynep Kahveci

ANKARA (AA) - The population of Turkey’s biggest city of Istanbul is more than those of 131 countries in the world, according to the United Nations Population Fund.

With a population of 15 million residents, Istanbul is more crowded than 131 countries, including Belgium (11.5 million people), Greece (11.1 million people), Austria (8.8 million people), Switzerland (8.5 million people) and Bulgaria (7 million people).

In 2018, Turkey’s population has grown to more than 82 million and 18.4 percent of the population live in Istanbul, according to Turkish Statistical Institute (Turkstat).

Istanbul kept its place as the most populous in the country and its population has grown by 907,257 people in 5 years.