Number of airline passengers per year in Turkey

Turkey: Number of airline passengers per year was 125.94 million in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
125.94 million
Change on year
up 20.3%
World rank
5th
of 183 countries
All-time high
125.94 million
in 2023
All-time low
1.04 million
in 1970
Years of data
54
1970–2023

Number of airline passengers per year in Turkey, 1970–2023

025.0M50.0M75.0M100.0M125.0M197019962023

Source: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2023, number of airline passengers per year in Turkey stood at 125.94 million. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.

That represents a change of up 20.3% on the previous year and up 69.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of airline passengers per year in Turkey peaked at 125.94 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.04 million, in 1970.

Turkey ranks 5th of 183 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Number of airline passengers per year in Turkey, year by year

Annual values for Number of airline passengers per year in Turkey, 1970 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1970 1.04 million —
1971 1.48 million +42.5%
1972 1.77 million +20.2%
1973 2.22 million +25.3%
1974 1.80 million -19.2%
1975 1.78 million -1.0%
1976 2.43 million +36.5%
1977 2.75 million +13.4%
1978 2.22 million -19.3%
1979 2.46 million +10.7%
1980 1.25 million -49.0%
1981 2.07 million +65.2%
1982 2.09 million +1.1%
1983 2.23 million +6.6%
1984 2.58 million +15.3%
1985 2.51 million -2.6%
1986 2.72 million +8.5%
1987 3.26 million +19.8%
1988 3.50 million +7.2%
1989 3.79 million +8.4%
1990 4.34 million +14.4%
1991 3.16 million -27.1%
1992 4.96 million +56.9%
1993 6.08 million +22.6%
1994 6.87 million +13.1%
1995 7.75 million +12.8%
1996 8.46 million +9.2%
1997 9.38 million +10.8%
1998 9.95 million +6.1%
1999 10.10 million +1.5%
2000 12.19 million +20.7%
2001 10.60 million -13.0%
2002 10.69 million +0.8%
2003 10.75 million +0.5%
2004 14.28 million +32.9%
2005 16.94 million +18.7%
2006 19.36 million +14.3%
2007 22.90 million +18.3%
2008 25.51 million +11.4%
2009 31.34 million +22.9%
2010 45.67 million +45.7%
2011 53.50 million +17.2%
2012 63.35 million +18.4%
2013 74.41 million +17.5%
2014 84.57 million +13.7%
2015 96.60 million +14.2%
2016 100.37 million +3.9%
2017 107.92 million +7.5%
2018 115.59 million +7.1%
2019 111.13 million -3.9%
2020 44.72 million -59.8%
2021 69.07 million +54.4%
2022 104.67 million +51.6%
2023 125.94 million +20.3%

Turkey compared with similar countries

  • Turkey's 125.94 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.37 million, 92.0× the median. (52 countries reporting)
  • Turkey's 125.94 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3.87 million, 32.6× the median. (49 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Number of airline passengers per year in Turkey changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2020 -59.8% 111.13 million 44.72 million

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.99 million 1.04 million 2.75 million 10
1980s 2.60 million 1.25 million 3.79 million 10
1990s 7.10 million 3.16 million 10.10 million 10
2000s 17.45 million 10.60 million 31.34 million 10
2010s 85.31 million 45.67 million 115.59 million 10
2020s 86.10 million 44.72 million 125.94 million 4

Countries ranked near Turkey

  1. 2 China 619.22 million compare
  2. 3 Ireland 192.53 million compare
  3. 4 India 180.42 million compare
  4. 6 Japan 120.31 million compare
  5. 7 United Kingdom 118.95 million compare
  6. 8 Russia 98.87 million compare

See the full ranking of 183 places →

More reference data data for Turkey

All data for Turkey →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of airline passengers per year in Turkey?
Number of airline passengers per year in Turkey was 125.94 million in 2023, according to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of airline passengers per year recorded in Turkey?
The highest recorded value was 125.94 million in 2023.
What is the lowest number of airline passengers per year recorded in Turkey?
The lowest recorded value was 1.04 million in 1970.
How does Turkey rank for number of airline passengers per year?
Turkey ranks 5th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
Is number of airline passengers per year rising or falling in Turkey?
Over the last ten years it is up 69.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Turkey data come from?
The figures come from International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of airline passengers per year. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of airline passengers per year in Turkey. Statizoid, drawing on International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 28 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/number-airline-passengers/turkiye/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of airline passengers per year
Source
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
183 places, 7,925 data points, 1970–2023
Last refreshed

This represents the total rather than unique passenger activity: this means a person who makes multiple trips is counted multiple times.