Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Sosyoekonomi, cilt.33, sa.64, ss.535-556, 2025 (ESCI)
As a demographic element, population constitutes one of the most important theoretical and political issues in economics. During the period following the Industrial Revolution, the world population grew faster than per capita income, rapidly depleting the global stock of natural capital. The severity of the destruction caused by human activities is reflected in the ecological footprint exceeding the biological capacity. The focus of the UN Sustainable Development Goals on human economic activity and reducing its environmental impact has brought attention back to the issue of population growth and its impact on the environment. This study employs the ARDL method to determine the optimal population level for Türkiye, taking into account both ecological and economic objectives. The findings indicate that Türkiye’s population level is much higher than it should be in terms of increasing welfare and resource sustainability.