This paper explores the Kurdish population as an ethnic minority within the Turkish context. In this regard, it is the first investigation of the Kurdish population in Turkey to be based on a nation-wide representative survey supplemented by other data sources and previous studies.
This study analyses the demographic patterns and related socio-economic characteristics of Turkey’s Kurdish population and compares the findings with the entire population of Turkey. The results indicate that the Kurdish population is currently in a pre-transitional stage in terms of the demographic patterns and constitutes with regard to both its demography and socio-economic characteristics the least developed portion of the whole population in Turkey.
This investigation is mainly based on the Turkish Demographic Health Survey (TDHS) and on the previous literature on Kurds. The principal aim of this study is to present the current situation of the Kurdish population in Turkey. In this regard, it provides an objective, initial exploration of the Kurdish population based on accurate data collected through a nation-wide survey.