Zaza Population in Turkey 2025

Zaza Population in Turkey 2025

As of 2025, there is no official or precise data on the Zaza (Zazaki-speaking) population in Turkey. The Zaza people are an ethnic group primarily living in eastern Anatolia, and they speak Zazaki, which is related to Kurdish and other Iranian languages.

Estimates of the Zaza population vary widely:

• General Estimates: The Zaza population is often estimated to be between 1 to 3 million, but these figures are speculative as Turkey does not record ethnicity in its census data.
• Language-Based Data: Some studies suggest around 2-3 million Zazaki speakers, but many Zazas may identify as Kurds or Turks, complicating accurate counts.
• Turkish Census: Turkey’s census does not differentiate by ethnicity, only by language spoken at home, making exact numbers difficult to determine.