The Population of the TRNC was Counted Using Turkish Waste Statistics

A dispute over the population size of the country is once again flaring up in Northern Cyprus. According to various sources, the figures differ twofold.

The official version was voiced on the Er Square program by the President of the TRNC, Ersin Tatar. According to the head of Northern Cyprus, a few days ago, he met with the Minister of Interior Affairs on this issue, who informed him that according to statistical data, the official population of the TRNC currently stands at 407 thousand people.

Recall that earlier in November 2023, Ersin Tatar stated that the official population of the TRNC was 410 thousand people.

Meanwhile, according to some data, the population of the TRNC may reach up to 825 thousand people. These figures are derived from the amount of waste generated in the country.

Mayor of Kyrenia, Murat Shencul, joined the demographic debates on his social media page.

"Since Turkey is the closest country to us in all respects, we can use waste utilization data from there," the mayor wrote.

According to the mayor, 160-170 tons of waste are collected daily in Kyrenia. Throughout the territory of Northern Cyprus, this figure reaches 800-900 tons. According to official data from the Turkish Statistical Institute TÜIK, one person produces an average of 1.03 kilograms of waste per day.

"According to this scientific calculation, we can estimate the population of Kyrenia at 155 thousand people. If we take the entire TRNC with a daily waste volume of 850 tons and divide it by 1.03 kilograms, we will get a population of approximately 825 thousand people," calculated the mayor of Kyrenia.