Population of Northern Cyprus

The estimated midyear population of Northern Cyprus for the year 2002 is 213,491 of which 101,034 are females and 112,457 are males. The population density in Northern Cyprus is 63.6 persons per square km. The crude birth rate is 15 per thousand where as the death rate is about 8 per thousand. 50% of the population lives in major cities and 50% in the countryside. 99% of the adult population of Northern Cyprus is literate.

The urban population of Northern Cyprus is employed mainly in the service industry and in light industries such as beverages, clothing, construction and in other similar industries.

Most of the rural population of Northern Cyprus lives in villages. There are about 195 villages in Northern Cyprus. People in rural areas are mainly engaged in agriculture and produce of a variety of crops. Wheat, barley, olives, carobs, melon, grapes, figs, potatoes and basic vegetables are grown commercially in various villages on a moderate scale. Although citrus is the main export produce, exports from Northern Cyprus have been restricted to a great extent, due to the political status of the state.

The urban population of Northern Cyprus is distributed as follows:

(Rounded to the nearest 1000. Census 1997)
Nicosia: 62,000
Famagusta: 54,000
Kyrenia: 38,000
Guzelyurt: 27,000
Iskele: 19,000

The service industry of Northern Cyprus has recently shown an increase in activity mainly in Tourism, Banking and Education. The slow development over the years in the economy has become an advantage for Tourism since it has resulted in unspoiled countryside and thus very low pollution. Education has recently developed to become one of the major sources of revenue of Northern Cyprus, with 5 private universities being opened in the last 10 years, offering a good standard of international education to the students attending from neighbouring countries, mainly Turkey.