Environmental Indicators
Environmental Indicators
10.7- Number of Motor Vehicles

Emissions from motor vehicles are a major cause of air pollution, especially in large cities. The number of vehicles is a pressure indicator.

The total number of motor vehicles, which was 1,566,405 in 1979, increased and reached 24,144,857 in 2020. When comparing the share of motor vehicle types on the roads between 1979 and 2020, the increase in the shares of cars, vans, and motorcycles in 2020 is striking. In 2020, automobiles account for 54.3% of the total number of motor vehicles, 16.3% pick-up trucks, 14,5% motorcycles, 8.1% tractors, 3.6% trucks, 2% minibuses, 0.9% buses, and 0.3% special purpose vehicles.[84]

Despite the increasing number of vehicles, the vehicle ownership rate in Turkey is far below the European average due to high prices and taxes. According to the 2019 data, the number of cars per thousand inhabitants was 681 in Luxembourg and 663 in Italy, while this figure was 150 in Turkey[85]. The EU-27 average was reported at 553 for 2019 [86].

GRAPH 116- NUMBER OF MOTOR VEHICLES BY YEARS (1979-2020)

 

GRAPH 117- DISTRIBUTION OF MOTOR VEHICLE TYPES OF 1979 and 2020 (%)

Source: TURKSTAT,2001. Note: Vehicles published under construction machinery and heavy tonnage vehicles included in special purpose vehicles have been reported under the heading “truck” since 2004.