Population policies and population process of Turkey in terms of demographic window of opportunity

It is specified in this study that the demographic window of opportunity opened in the third stage of the demographic transition in Turkey. Turkey has experienced the third stage of demographic transition during the period of 1985-2015. It was not until 2000 that the ratio of young population has dropped to below 30% in Turkey. The general dependency rate of 50% was reached in 2010. Both dates correspond to the third stage of the transition. This study brings a geographic approach to the process of demographic transition and the demographic window of opportunity owing to the consideration of world's population by regions, and the analysis of the population in Turkey by region and provinces. By this means, it is revealed in this study that the window of opportunity period opens on different dates in the regions and the provinces. Furthermore, it is determined that while the same window has never opened in some provinces, it has started closing in some others. This situation has been mapped using the ArcGIS 10 method. Among the main findings of the study is that the demographic transition develops differently in the western and eastern regions of the country. Therefore, the window of opportunity period in the regions and provinces is also variable. The occurrence of a window of opportunity is not sufficient for economic growth. The supply of labor increases during this period. Unless the increased labour force is employed, the process can evolve into a demographic window of crisis. For this not to happen; demographic, geopolitical and socioeconomic factors should be evaluated together. It is also important that statist enterprises are not completely bypassed. In this study, population, economic and employment carried out in Turkey are analyzed in the context of historical geography, economic geography and population geography. As a result, it is found that the demographic window of opportunity has not been used efficiently and that the policies aimed at population growth has not produced results so far. Keywords: Demographic Transition Process, Demographic Window of Opportunity, Population Geography, Demography, Turkey