Türkiye Census

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Türkiye

Census Records

Resources

Online Resources

• 1838-1862 Census registers, 1838-1862,(*); Armenian Apostolic Church. Patriarchate of Istanbul at FamilySearch Catalog - images
• 1861-1915 Census registers, 1861-1915,(*); Armenian Apostolic Church. Patriarchate of Istanbul at FamilySearch Catalog - images
• Ottoman Population, 1830-1914: Demographic and Social Characteristics, by Kemal H. Karpat. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 1985. At various libraries (WorldCat); Online at: FamilySearch Digital Library

Individual Towns

• Arabgir Tarihinin Kaynaklari" by Genç, Vural. Istanbul, Turkey:Kerem Aydınlar Vakfı, 2020. FS Catalog book 956.1 H29g - Analyzes primary Ottoman archival sources in Arabgir, a district in Malatya, Turkey.
• Bayburt 1835-1848 Population Registers at Internet Archive, archived page - Text in Turkish
• İnegöl Müslim Population Book Number 01444 (1843) at Bursa Uludağ University - Text in Turkish
  
• Istanbul Population Rosters 1885 (1300 AH) & 1907 (1322 AH) at SaltResearch.org - Text in Turkish
  
• Kayseri Population Register dated 1288 and with the number 3322 (1831) at National Thesis Center - Text in Turkish
• First report on the Diocese of Nicomedia, 1870 : the visitation made by Archimandrite (Vartabed) Boghos Natanian" by Natanian, Boghos and Melkonian, Ara Stepan. London, England:Gomidas Institute, 2019. FS Catalog book 956.1 K2n

Offices to Contact

Nüfus ve Vatandaşlık İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü
(General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs)
Çamlıca Mahallesi 408. Cadde No:136
06200 Yenimahalle
Ankara, Türkiye
Telephone: 0 312 591 2101
Email: alo199@nvi.gov.tr
Website
Facebook

*Provincial Population and Citizenship Directorates

*"Records regarding the lineage and ancestry of individuals can be inquired via e-Government, or if this is not possible, can be requested from any district population directorate."

Background

Population Registers (Nüfūs Defter)
The earliest census reports from Turkey date back to 1831. It consisted of the male population but few names were recorded. Annual updates of population numbers were obtained by adding births and subtracting deaths registered in each district. These records count number of households or persons, but recorded few names.

In 1867 the Turkish Council of State and Population Statistics assumed jurisdiction over all population matters. The census laws of 1875 and 1884 established a system where permanent registers were compiled in an initial census survey with vital information be updated as births, marriages, and deaths occurred.
A census survey was conducted throughout the empire in 1876-1878. This survey is incomplete because of the Ottoman-Russian War.

A population survey was taken 1882-1885 and another one taken in 1903-1906. The registers were updated by adding new information about births, deaths, and migration into and out of the district. Separate registers were established for Muslims and for members of other religious communities.

Types of Censuses

Population Registers (Nüfūs Defter)

• The first population register (1876-1881) listed only males.
• About 90%. Women are likely undercounted. Remote areas may not be fully counted.
• 1893 census covered the entire empire.
  

Turkish Council of State of Population Statistics

• Türkiye published estimated population figures for 1876-1878.
  
• Regulations of 1881 and 1878 and the law of 1874 were finally implemented in a census which started in 1881 and was completed in 1883.
  

Information Recorded in the Records

Population Registers (Nüfūs Defter)
The first population register (1876-1881) listed only males. After 1882 the registers listed the following:

• Names of household members including children
• Sex
• Birth Date
• Residence
• Age
• Religion
• Craft or occupation
• Marital status
• Marriage date
• Health
• Military Status
• Patrilineal relations
• If deceased, the register provides the death date or crosses out the name of the deceased

Turkish Council of State of Population Statistics
The 1881-1883 census used several ethnic-religious categories for the Christian population, but all the Muslims continued to be counted as one homogeneous group despite the ethnic and linguistic differences among them.

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