Over 75M people now use internet in Türkiye

The number of internet users in Türkiye has exceeded 75 million, according to the latest data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK).

The internet usage rate among individuals aged 16-74 increased from 87.1% in 2023 to 88.8% in 2024.

The data also shows a gender disparity, with 92.2% of men and 85.4% of women using the internet in 2024.

Rise in e-government services usage

TUIK’s report highlights that 73.7% of individuals used e-government services over the past 12 months. This figure reflects the percentage of people who accessed public services or visited official websites and applications for personal purposes.

The gender breakdown shows that 80.7% of men utilized these services, compared to 66.7% of women.

The usage of e-government services varies significantly by age group. The highest usage rate, at 92.1%, is among those aged 25-34, while the lowest, at 25.6%, is among individuals aged 65-74.

The most common purpose for using e-government services was accessing personal information held by public authorities, with 68.6% of users citing this reason. This was followed by 47.9% who used the services to make appointments or reservations with public institutions and 45.1% who sought information from government websites.

E-Commerce continues to grow in Türkiye

The percentage of individuals purchasing goods or services online increased to 51.7% in 2024, up from 49.5% in 2023.

Among those who shopped online, 54.1% were men, and 49.3% were women. Notably, 38.8% of online shoppers made their purchases within the first three months of 2024.

During the first quarter of 2024, 76.7% of individuals who purchased goods or services online bought clothing, shoes, and accessories.

This was followed by 47.5% who ordered deliveries from restaurants, fast food chains, or catering services, 34.0% who purchased food products, 32.4% who bought cosmetics and beauty products, and 29.2% who ordered cleaning and personal care items.

When broken down by gender, 70.3% of men purchased clothing, shoes, and accessories online, and 49.2% ordered food deliveries. In comparison, 83.0% of women bought clothing, shoes, and accessories, 46.6% purchased cosmetics and beauty products, and 45.9% ordered food deliveries.

Decline in online learning activities

Despite the growth in other online activities, the percentage of individuals engaging in online learning for education, professional, or personal purposes dropped by 4.9 percentage points to 13.9% in 2024. This activity was slightly more common among women (14.1%) than men (13.7%).

Popularity of social media and messaging apps in Türkiye

Social media and messaging applications remain highly popular in Türkiye, with 86.2% of internet users using WhatsApp, 71.3% using YouTube, and 65.4% using Instagram. Gender analysis shows that 89.5% of men used WhatsApp, 74.7% used YouTube and 67.0% used Instagram, while 82.9% of women used WhatsApp, 68.0% used YouTube and 63.9% used Instagram.

Nearly half of internet users (47.9%) used internet-connected TVs, making it the most commonly used internet-connected device.

Other popular devices included internet-connected household appliances (10.2%) such as robot vacuums and smart fridges, and wearables (9.7%) like smartwatches and fitness bands.

Price remains a key factor in tech purchases

Price continues to be the most important factor for consumers when purchasing mobile phones, tablets and computers, with 89.2% citing it as a key consideration.

This was followed by hardware specifications (71.7%) and brand, design, or size (67.4%).