Migration from Çorum continues, but why? TÜİK 2025 data on the reasons people leave, the feelings of families left behind and the psychology of moving.
A mother and son saying goodbye at the bus station is a scene many families in Çorum know well. The suitcase is loaded into the car, someone says "Call when you get there", and then the house grows a little quieter. According to local news reports citing TÜİK (Turkish Statistical Institute) 2025 Internal Migration Statistics, 17,208 people moved from Çorum to other provinces that year, while 15,597 people came to Çorum from elsewhere. The difference is 1,611 people. The data on migration from Çorum may look like a single number, but behind each one there is a decision, a farewell and someone left behind. In this article we look at why people leave, what the figures show and what they do not, and the psychological meaning of migration for both those who go and those who stay.
Migration from Çorum: What Do the Figures Say?
For many years Çorum has been a province with net out-migration. According to the 2015 Social Analysis of Çorum Province by the Central Black Sea Development Agency (OKA), between 2008 and 2014 the province lost between 13 and 17 people per thousand each year through net migration. In recent years the picture has fluctuated:
- 2021: Net migration −3,982
- 2022: Net migration −1,725
- 2023: Net migration +7,629 (the only positive year in the series; sources do not explain why)
- 2024: Net migration −6,728
- 2025: Net migration −1,611 (−3.1 per thousand)
So migration continues, but its volume changes from year to year. The loss in 2025 was well below that of 2024.
Why do people leave?
According to TÜİK 2025 data, the main reasons given by people leaving Çorum were:
- Better housing and living conditions: 3,494 people (20.3%)
- Migration linked to a household member (accompanying a family member): 3,489 people (20.3%)
- Education: 3,327 people (19.3%)
- Finding a job or starting a business: 1,840 people (10.7%)
- Appointment or change of job: 1,703 people (9.9%)
Compared with arrivals, the largest net losses were in finding work (−637), better living conditions (−605) and migration linked to family members (−595). Education migration, by contrast, is almost balanced: 3,330 students or people moving for education came, and 3,327 left. The largest net gain was in the "returning to family/hometown" category (+863).
Compared with Turkey as a whole, the share of "finding work" (10.7%) and "education" (19.3%) among those leaving Çorum is above the national average. Those leaving for health or care reasons (208 people) were two and a half times the number arriving for the same reason (83 people).
Where do they go?
The main direction is Ankara. According to the Ankara Chamber of Commerce's "Ankara in Figures" study, based on TÜİK data, 8,386 people moved from Çorum to Ankara in 2024, while 3,486 people came from Ankara to Çorum. For every five people who go to Ankara, roughly two come back.
The limits of the data
These figures measure migration between provinces; moves within the province, from villages to the city centre, are a separate matter. The reason for migration is based on the person's own statement, and one person may have more than one reason. For 2025, province-by-province destinations and the current age and education breakdown of those leaving could not be found in published sources. OKA's finding, based on 2013–2014 data, shows that migration is most concentrated in the 20–24 age group.
A Sociological Reading: Why Does Migration from Çorum Continue?
Migration cannot be explained by a single factor. The data, however, call for several possible factors to be considered together.
The pull of the big city: Ankara's proximity makes travelling back and forth easy. Closeness can make migration feel less like a "rupture", which may itself make the decision easier. The thought "I can always come back at the weekend" lightens the weight of leaving.
Wages and variety of work: OKA's report states that people with vocational training migrate because of low wages in the province. In an older academic ranking (Kabalcı and colleagues, 2009), Çorum was 77th out of 81 provinces for its level of attractiveness. This may feed the idea that, even as industry grows, the variety of jobs young people are looking for is greater in big cities.
Chain migration: Those who go first invite their relatives too. The high figure for "migration linked to family members" is also a reminder that migration is a family movement as much as an individual one.
Expectations about living conditions: The reason "better housing and living conditions" may include not only material expectations but also expectations about social and cultural opportunities.
The balance of education and return: It is striking that the numbers arriving and leaving for education are almost equal. Students who come to Çorum to study numerically balance the young people who leave the province to study. However, there are no data showing whether young people who study elsewhere return after graduating. On the other hand, against the 1,161 people who came to Çorum for "returning to family/hometown", only 298 left for this reason. This shows that migration is not a one-way story; some people return years later.
Those who move for care: The fact that those leaving for health or care reasons clearly outnumber those arriving brings to mind older people moving to be near their children in big cities or closer to more comprehensive health services. Because the data have no age breakdown, this is an inference; but it is a situation many families will recognise.
It is also important to look at how the picture has changed over the long term. In census data for 1995–2000, 28% of those leaving Çorum gave looking for or finding work as their reason. By 2025 this share appears to have fallen to around 11%, while living conditions and education have come to the fore (even if the categories are not exactly comparable). Migration is becoming as much about "what kind of life" as about "earning a living".
The Psychology of Those Who Leave: Decision, Hope and Guilt
The decision to migrate is often the result of a long inner debate. On one side a person weighs the opportunities; on the other, family, friends and familiar streets. Feelings commonly experienced in this process include:
- Hope and excitement: A new beginning, the wish to build one's own life.
- Anxiety about uncertainty: "What if I can't make it there?", "What if I have to come back?"
- Guilt: Especially for those who leave ageing parents behind, the feeling "I've left them alone".
- Pressure to succeed: The expectation "You've gone, so at least make something of yourself" can make it harder to ask for help in difficult moments.
- Being caught in between: Feeling a stranger in the new city and "not really from here any more" back home.
Let us imagine a young person in their twenties who has finished university and finds a job in Ankara. In the first months they often return to Çorum at weekends; then these visits become less frequent. On every return, their mother's question "When are you coming back for good?" carries both love and a reproach. The young person is caught between building their own life and their family's expectations.
The first months of migration often begin with a "honeymoon" period: the new city is exciting and the opportunities dazzling. Then the difficulties of daily life become clearer: rent, transport, crowds, the absence of familiar faces. In this period, home may be remembered as better than it was. This fluctuation is a normal part of the adjustment process and, for most people, settles over time. What matters is not to read the difficult period as proof that "I made the wrong decision", and to give yourself time to build support ties in the new city, however small. A circle of people from the same hometown, colleagues, or groups formed around shared interests can be an important anchor at this stage. For a more detailed look at the psychology of the decision to migrate, you can read our article on the psychology of deciding to migrate.
How Those Who Stay Feel: What Changes as Migration from Çorum Continues?
Migration statistics count those who leave; they do not count those who stay. Yet every departure has a side that is left behind.
Emptying homes: In Çorum, the average household size is 2.71 people and single-person households make up 23.8%. According to news reports citing TÜİK's Family in Statistics 2025 data, in 46.8% of these single-person households someone aged 65 or over lives alone. In Turkey this figure is 33.2%. For parents whose children have moved to another city, loneliness is a subject that can also be seen in the numbers.
Parenting from a distance: Relationships maintained by phone and video call carry love, but on a day of illness, a bayram (Turkey's religious holidays) or a hard day, they cannot fully replace physical closeness.
The young people who stay: As friends leave one by one, young people who stay in Çorum may wonder, "Everyone's leaving; am I being left behind?" Staying can be experienced as much as a shortcoming as a choice. Yet staying is just as legitimate a decision as leaving.
Waiting: For some families, life becomes organised around waiting for the children to come at bayram or in the summer. This waiting keeps the bond alive; but when the time in between fills with emptiness, it can turn into sadness.
Let us imagine a couple in their sixties whose two children both live in different cities. In a house that is quiet during the day, the evening video call has become the most important moment of the day. When the call is late one day, anxiety rises and the thought "Has something happened to them?" lingers for a long time. The problem here is not a lack of love, but love being squeezed into a single channel.
Migration is as much about starting to wait for someone in a city as it is about leaving one.
Practical Suggestions for Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay
If you are thinking of leaving:
- Assess the decision not only in terms of "opportunity" but also in terms of your needs: social support, housing, budget, time to adjust.
- Have an open conversation with your family before you go. Talking about how often you will visit, expectations around keeping in touch and what to do in an emergency reduces later hurt.
- Set realistic expectations for the first months in the new city. Adjustment takes time; feeling lonely can be a normal part of the process.
If someone in your family is leaving:
- You do not have to hide your sadness; but try to express it in a way that does not blame the person leaving: "I'll miss you" and "You're leaving us behind" carry the same feeling very differently.
- Review your daily routine. Filling the time freed up by the children's departure with neighbourliness, volunteering, courses or new routines can do you good.
- Use technology as a bridge, but do not let it become the only measure of the relationship.
If you have chosen to stay:
- Tell yourself clearly why you are staying. The peace that comes from a conscious choice can balance the feeling that "everyone has gone".
- Be open to forming new social ties. People who come to Çorum to study or work are also looking for new friendships.
Our article on moving to a new city may also offer guidance on the general psychology of relocating.
When Should You Seek Professional Support?
Both leaving and staying can be emotionally tiring; most people get through this process over time with their own resources. In the following situations, however, talking to a professional can be helpful:
- If the decision to migrate cannot be made for months and this indecision is affecting your sleep, appetite or work
- If, weeks after arriving in a new city, intense loneliness, unhappiness or anxiety are not easing
- If, as a parent left behind, you cannot enjoy daily life and constantly feel empty
- If repeated, unresolved conflicts are happening within the family because of migration or a departure
- If thoughts of hopelessness, worthlessness or that life is meaningless are becoming prominent
If thoughts of harming yourself arise, do not put it off; in an emergency, call 112 (emergency services).
How Are Migration and Separation Addressed in Therapy?
In therapy the aim is not to tell a person "go" or "stay". The aim is to help them see more clearly the values, worries and family expectations behind the decision.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on noticing sharp thoughts such as "If I leave, I'll have let my family down" or "If I stay, my life will be wasted" and generating more balanced alternatives. Decision-making skills, tolerance of uncertainty and problem-solving can be worked on.
A schema therapy perspective can shed light on old feelings revived by migration, such as a fear of abandonment or a pattern of "always putting other people's needs first". For parents left behind, grief-like feelings, loneliness and adjusting to new roles can be addressed.
Individual therapy offers a safe space to think during this process, both for those who leave and for those who stay. Sessions can be held face to face in Çorum, or continued online for those who have moved out of the province.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Çorum still losing people to migration?
Yes, net migration was negative in 2025 too (−1,611). However, the loss was well below the −6,728 of 2024. Because the series fluctuates from year to year, it would not be right to draw firm conclusions about a trend from a single year.
What is the most common reason people give for leaving Çorum?
In 2025, better living conditions, accompanying a family member and education were the top three reasons among those leaving, in roughly equal shares. The largest net loss, however, is seen in the reason "finding work".
My child has moved to another city. Is it normal to be this upset?
Yes, the sadness that accompanies separation is a natural reaction. This feeling softens within weeks and a new routine forms. If the sadness lasts for months and noticeably restricts your daily life, you might consider seeking support.
Should I go or stay? How can I decide?
First write down separately what you need and what you are afraid of losing. Then weigh up the realistic pros and cons of each option, independently of the people around you. If the decision keeps you stuck for months, talking to a professional can help clarify your thoughts.
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Eda Erkan Alapala
Klinik Psikolog. İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi Klinik Psikoloji Tezli Yüksek Lisans mezunu; bilişsel davranışçı terapi, çocuk merkezli oyun terapisi ve çocuk-ergen psikoterapisi alanlarında eğitimlerini tamamlamıştır.
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