List of Turkish provinces by administrative level
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (June 2025) |
List of provinces of Turkey by classification level refers to the categorization of Turkey’s 81 provinces into five administrative classes. This classification is used by the Ministry of the Interior for the assignment and rotation of civil servants (e.g., deputy governors, district administrators), and was formalized in Annex I of directive number 21.5.8610782.
1st-class provinces
[edit]These are the most developed provinces, with significant urbanization, infrastructure, and administrative capacity.
| Province | Region |
|---|---|
| Adana | Mediterranean |
| Afyonkarahisar | Aegean |
| Ankara | Central Anatolia |
| Antalya | Mediterranean |
| Aydın | Aegean |
| Balıkesir | Aegean |
| Bursa | Marmara |
| Çorum | Black Sea |
| Denizli | Aegean |
| Edirne | Marmara |
| Eskişehir | Central Anatolia |
| Gaziantep | Southeastern Anatolia |
| Hatay | Mediterranean |
| Isparta | Mediterranean |
| Istanbul | Marmara |
| Izmir | Aegean |
| Kayseri | Central Anatolia |
| Kırıkkale | Central Anatolia |
| Kocaeli | Marmara |
| Konya | Central Anatolia |
| Manisa | Aegean |
| Mersin | Mediterranean |
| Sakarya | Marmara |
| Samsun | Black Sea |
| Tekirdağ | Marmara |
| Trabzon | Black Sea |
| Yalova | Marmara |
| Zonguldak | Black Sea |
2nd-class provinces
[edit]These provinces have moderate levels of development, regional administrative capacity, and growing infrastructure.
| Province | Region |
|---|---|
| Aksaray | Central Anatolia |
| Amasya | Black Sea |
| Artvin | Black Sea |
| Bartın | Black Sea |
| Batman | Southeastern Anatolia |
| Bilecik | Marmara |
| Bingöl | Eastern Anatolia |
| Bitlis | Eastern Anatolia |
| Bolu | Black Sea |
| Çanakkale | Marmara |
| Düzce | Black Sea |
| Elazığ | Eastern Anatolia |
| Erzincan | Eastern Anatolia |
| Erzurum | Eastern Anatolia |
| Giresun | Black Sea |
| Gümüşhane | Black Sea |
| Karabük | Black Sea |
| Karaman | Central Anatolia |
| Kars | Eastern Anatolia |
| Kastamonu | Black Sea |
| Kırklareli | Marmara |
| Kırşehir | Central Anatolia |
| Malatya | Eastern Anatolia |
| Muğla | Aegean |
| Nevşehir | Central Anatolia |
| Ordu | Black Sea |
| Rize | Black Sea |
| Sivas | Central Anatolia |
| Şanlıurfa | Southeastern Anatolia |
| Tokat | Black Sea |
| Uşak | Aegean |
3rd-class provinces
[edit]These provinces have limited urbanization and serve mostly rural or mountainous populations.
| Province | Region |
|---|---|
| Adıyaman | Southeastern Anatolia |
| Ağrı | Eastern Anatolia |
| Ardahan | Eastern Anatolia |
| Bayburt | Black Sea |
| Hakkari | Southeastern Anatolia |
| Iğdır | Eastern Anatolia |
| Kahramanmaraş | Mediterranean |
| Mardin | Southeastern Anatolia |
| Muş | Eastern Anatolia |
| Niğde | Central Anatolia |
| Osmaniye | Mediterranean |
| Siirt | Southeastern Anatolia |
| Şırnak | Southeastern Anatolia |
| Tunceli | Eastern Anatolia |
| Van | Eastern Anatolia |
4th-class provinces
[edit]These provinces are less developed, often geographically remote, with limited urban infrastructure.
| Province | Region |
|---|---|
| Ardahan | Eastern Anatolia |
| Bayburt | Black Sea |
| Gümüşhane | Black Sea |
| Iğdır | Eastern Anatolia |
| Kilis | Southeastern Anatolia |
| Tunceli | Eastern Anatolia |
5th-class provinces
[edit]These are the least urbanized, least populated, and typically hardest to access provinces of Turkey.
| Province | Region |
|---|---|
| Hakkari | Southeastern Anatolia |
| Şırnak | Southeastern Anatolia |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- T.C. İçişleri Bakanlığı. "İl ve İlçe Sınıflandırmaları – Ek-I", Tebliğ No: 21.5.8610782.
- Resmî Gazete kararları ve mülki idare sınıflandırma tabloları (2025).
- Ministry of the Interior (Turkey)