Bayburt
Turkey's least populated province (83,676 residents) separated from Gümüşhane in 1989. The Baksı Museum attracted 40,000 visitors in 2024 despite the provincial capital holding only 32,315 people. By 2026, cultural tourism will remain the primary growth sector.
Bayburt is Turkey's least populated province with only 83,676 residents—a demographic scarcity that reflects harsh climate, high elevation, and the challenge of developing a Silk Road transit point into a permanent settlement capable of retaining population.
The Çoruh River valley where Bayburt sits at 1,550 meters elevation has served as a transit corridor for millennia. The ancient Silk Road route between Trabzon and Iran passed through, establishing Bayburt's role as waystation rather than destination. Ottoman control formalized this position, but population remained sparse. In 1989, Bayburt separated from Gümüşhane Province to become its own administrative unit—Turkey's newest province carved from territory that even neighboring regions couldn't sustain.
The economy reflects this marginality. Animal husbandry and agriculture dominate: sugar beets, forage plants, and fruits grow in the valley while livestock graze highlands. Industry remains underdeveloped. Textile workshops, particularly clothing manufacturing, show modest growth. Recent energy projects—the Bayburt Hydroelectric Power Plant and R3-Bayburt-5 Wind Power Plant—indicate gradual expansion in renewables. Trade follows historical patterns: Istanbul accounts for 39.2% of flows, with livestock, agricultural products, textiles, and foodstuffs the primary commodities.
Cultural development has provided unexpected vitality. The Baksı Museum, founded by artist Hüsamettin Koçan and opened in 2010, functions as an open-air sculpture park and contemporary art venue on a remote hillside. This institution attracted approximately 40,000 visitors in 2024—a substantial number for a province whose capital city holds only 32,315 people. The museum demonstrates that remoteness can become an asset when combined with distinctive cultural offerings.
The 2024 census confirmed Bayburt's position at Turkey's demographic bottom: 83,676 residents, followed only by Tunceli (86,612) and Ardahan (91,354). Population growth runs at just 0.05% annually. The city itself grows by fewer than 200 people per year.
By 2026, Bayburt will remain Turkey's smallest province—a place where transit corridor heritage and Silk Road position have never translated into population growth, but where cultural tourism offers an alternative development model.