The percentage of Christians in Turkey fell from 17.5 % , 3 million , ( 19 % non-Muslim ) in a population of 16 million to 2.5 % percent in 1927 , due to events which had a significant impact on the country 's demographic structure , such as the Armenian Genocide , the population exchange between Greece and Turkey , and the emigration of Christians that actually began in the late 19th century and gained pace in the first quarter of the 20th century . The Wealth Tax on non-Muslims in 1942 , the emigration of a portion of Turkish Jews to Israel after 1948 , and the ongoing Cyprus dispute which damaged the relations between Turks and Greeks ( culminating in the Istanbul pogrom of 6 – 7 September 1955 ) were other important events that contributed to the decline of Turkey 's non-Muslim population
Istanbul pogrom
Istanbul pogrom
Turkey