Today in History – 21 October

The fourth census is held

The population of Turkey was officially announced as 18 million 871 thousand according to the 4th General Census held on October 21, 1945. The population of İstanbul was recorded as 1 million 71 thousand at the time. Due to the census, President İnönü personally went to the General Directorate of Statistics to receive information. Once the end of the curfew was announced by the firing of balls, the citizens ran to the streets.

Censuses were also held during the Ottoman Empire, but at the time, the goal was to determine the number of men the army could recruit. Once the number of men was determined, estimates were made about the general population.

The first and second censuses were held in 1927 and 1935, respectively after the proclamation of the Republic. According to the census of 1927, Turkey’s population was 13 million 650 thousand and reached 15 million by the 1935 census. Censuses were held every five years as of 1935. In the 1940 census, the total population of Turkey was at 17 million 895 thousand.