Foreign students constitutes almost 25 per cent of North Cyprus's population

Foreign students in North Cyprus constitute almost 25 per cent of the country's population according to a report published by the Turkish Cypriot press on Tuesday.

According to the report, the population of North Cyprus is around 352,000, with 230,000 of those classed as ‘TRNC citizens’.

In a report by Turkish Cypriot daily, Yeni Duzen quoted the ‘undersecretary of the state planning organisation’ Odul Muhtaroglu, as saying that there were 122,000 people living in the north who were either foreign students, foreign workers or foreign residents, bringing the total population to 352,000.

This is the number we accept as the population, he said.

This figure did not however include the number of Turkish soldiers.

Muhtaroglu said a study was being carried out on the projected population for 2018, adding that the figures he cited would increase due to the expectation of more foreign students with over 100,000 included in the total figure fall into this category.

We will re-examine the number of workers again and we will announce the population for 2018,” he said.

In addition, Muhtaroglu recalled that during the last ‘census’ in 2011, the de jure population was found to be 286,257 in total including the foreign workers and students.

He said that people who have been in the north Cyprus for a year or more are counted in the de jure population. Muhtaroglu said that since 2011 there has not been any census as they are done around every ten years or so.

Meanwhile Kibris reported, under the headline; ‘Dangerous growth in the university sector’, saying the number of foreign students now stood at 100,911, attending 16 universities.

The paper said another 16 universities were planned. It added that the ‘higher education council’, had warned of the need for stricter regulation and an action plan for the tertiary education sector. 

The paper also reported the increasing clashes between foreign students and far-right groups in the country.

References edited from Cyprus Mail