Ottoman Population Within the Current Borders of Turkey: A New Construction

Abstract

The main achievement of this paper is to introduce a new construction of population data for the territory within the current borders of Turkey. The broad coverage of the reconstruction includes the population in the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. I also provide entirely new population estimates for specifc years in previous five centuries. This contributes to the literature since it allows to provide new estimates supporting the existence of a Malthusian cycle. In the paper, I first summarize the economic history of the Ottoman Empire. Second, I explain how I construct population estimates for the territory of interest for the specific years. I also compare my population estimates to those of other historians. The end result is twofold: First, the demographic features of the Empire generally support the Malthusian view, and, second, the Turkish economy leaves its Malthusian trap in the late 19th century.

Keywords: Demography, Population, Population Growth, Malthusian Regime, Post-Malthusian Regime, Economic Growth, Development, Ottoman Empire, Turkey

JEL Classification: N01, N35, N45, N55, N95, J11, J19, 015