📊 Bursa in Numbers 2026: Population, Economy and Urban Change

المسافر

المسافر

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🇹🇷 Information updated: 1 September 2026

Bursa is a large province of 17 districts, combining a dense urban centre, industrial towns such as İnegöl and Gemlik, a Marmara coastline, farmland and Ottoman World Heritage sites. Its 2026 figures reveal a place changing through population growth, production and transport, while seeking to protect its identity and quality of life.

👥 Population: more than 3.26 million​

The 2025 Address-Based Population Registration System results were the latest complete annual figures published by the Turkish Statistical Institute at the update date. Bursa had 3,263,011 residents on 31 December 2025, compared with 3,238,618 in 2024: an increase of 24,393, or approximately 7.5 per thousand. See the official 2025 population bulletin, published on 9 February 2026.

This is the population of the entire province, not just the city centre. Urban activity is concentrated in Osmangazi, Yıldırım and Nilüfer, while Gemlik, İnegöl and Mudanya have their own economic and residential roles. Distinguish the province from the main urban area when comparing population, prices and traffic.

💰 Foreign trade: exports above US$19.5 billion​

The Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s annual analysis gives these figures for 2025:
  • Exports: US$19.527 billion.
  • Imports: US$10.971 billion.
  • Total foreign trade: US$30.498 billion.
  • 2024 exports, for comparison: US$18.187 billion.
Export value therefore grew by approximately 7.4% in 2025. The figures appear in the chamber’s annual foreign-trade analysis, which identifies TÜİK and the Turkish Exporters Assembly as its sources.

Overall growth does not mean that all sectors advanced at the same pace. Bursa’s economy remains closely tied to export manufacturing and overseas demand, especially for vehicles and components.

🏭 What do the January–July 2026 figures show?​

Bursa exported approximately US$11.926 billion in the first seven months of 2026, 8.1% more than in the same period of 2025. The sectoral data through July 2026 show substantial differences:
  • Automotive: US$5.771 billion, up 12.7%, accounting for around 48% of the province’s exports during the period.
  • Machinery and components: US$764.7 million, up 3.3%.
  • Textiles and raw materials: US$739 million, up 2.9%.
  • Ready-made clothing: US$676.7 million, down 19.7%.
  • Furniture, paper and forest products: US$411.3 million, down 6.7%.
Growth in vehicles and some technical industries coincides with pressure on labour-intensive sectors such as clothing and furniture. Bursa’s transformation involves shifts within its economy, rather than uniform expansion.

🚗 From car manufacturing to a new mobility ecosystem​

The Renault Boreal began rolling off the Bursa production line in June 2026. According to the Ministry of Industry and Technology announcement, Renault’s Bursa factories have annual capacity of approximately 390,000 vehicles, employ more than 5,000 people and export around 80% of their output. The new model is intended for export to more than 30 countries.

The wider significance is Bursa’s position in global supply chains as the industry moves towards hybrid and electric vehicles, software and batteries. Local suppliers need to invest in research, energy efficiency and digital skills if higher production is also to bring greater local value.

🧵 A broader economy than cars alone suggest​

  • Textiles and clothing: A historic industry extending from silk to modern factories, facing international competition and cost pressures.
  • Machinery and metals: Suppliers to vehicle plants, industrial equipment manufacturers and export markets.
  • Furniture: Concentrated particularly in İnegöl, linking design, production and overseas shipping.
  • Ports and logistics: Gemlik is important for moving vehicles and goods through the Marmara Sea.
  • Agriculture and food: Gemlik olives, peaches, other orchard produce and local foods with tourism value.
  • Tourism: Uludağ, thermal baths, the Khans Area, Cumalıkızık, İznik and the Mudanya coast.
This diversity provides some resilience, but also creates competition for land, water, roads and workers between industry, housing, agriculture and tourism.

🏙️ How is growth changing the province?​

Population and employment growth encourage expansion west towards Nilüfer, Görükle and Hasanağa; north and west towards Gemlik, Mudanya and Karacabey; and east towards Yıldırım, Gürsu, Kestel and İnegöl. Four connected planning challenges follow:
  1. Housing: Proximity to jobs and services increases demand in particular neighbourhoods; cheaper, more distant housing can mean a longer commute.
  2. Transport: New roads alone are insufficient if new neighbourhoods remain far from rail and regular buses.
  3. Environment: Industrial and urban expansion must protect water catchments, farmland and air quality.
  4. Safety: Modern growth requires the renewal of vulnerable buildings and serious earthquake preparedness.
These are planning implications of population growth and concentrated employment and exports, rather than outcomes proved by the figures alone.

🚄 A year of transition in regional connections​

The Bandırma–Bursa–Yenişehir–Osmaneli project is intended to connect Bursa to the high-speed rail network. A March 2026 ministry update targeted completion of the Bursa–Osmaneli section in the second half of 2026. This remains an announced construction target unless a separate commercial-opening announcement and passenger timetable confirm operation. Follow the official project update.

Once services begin, integration between the high-speed station, metro, buses and employment areas will matter as much as shorter intercity journeys.

🔎 Reading the figures carefully​

  • A final population figure for 2026 can only be published after the year ends. The figure used here is for 2025, published in 2026.
  • The 2025 export figure covers a full year; the 2026 figure covers January–July and should be compared with the same period.
  • Factory capacity is not the number of vehicles actually produced in a year.
  • A target date for a railway or metro is not proof that it has opened. Confirm operation through official announcements, timetables and passenger services.

✅ Conclusion​

Bursa has more than 3.26 million residents, recorded US$19.5 billion in exports in the latest completed year, and continued to grow during the first seven months of 2026, led by the automotive sector. Its next challenge is to turn that economic strength into integrated transport, safer neighbourhoods and higher-value production while protecting heritage and nature. This balance will determine whether “Green Bursa” remains a productive and liveable city.


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