No but it will be. It has a huge population growth and an annual economic growth of 7%

^According to my calculations, 7% means it will double every decade.

 You realize that's more than four decades from now? You'll be sitting in a weelchair by then in a home for the elderly.

What? At 67?

You know it won't suddenly jump to the size of Italy's economy, it will have to grow to be that size, so we'll be seeing the benefits much sooner.

Also note that these estimations don't factor in the fact that it'll be part of the EU, which will help stimulate growth further.

After looking it up, Turkey is also an $800bn economy, and it's GINI and HDI ratins are medium. Hardly "piss-poor".

I hope Turkey don't ever become a member of the EU. Mass immigration will flood the rest of us.

^Which provides the nations with a larger labour force.

EDIT: If you look at this graph (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/timeline/c9bd270b536dad628c33caa5b397d3e3.png) you'll see that Turkey accession has been in negotiations for some time.

^which we don't need because the unemployment is high already. Plus immigration causes all kinds of more serious problems.

Unemployment is high because of the recession, the recession won't last forever. By the time Turkey gets in (which will probably be within the next decade, or so), the world's economies will be in rapid growth, again.

Shortage of labour force hasn't been a problem for 30 years in the EU though. We simply don't need more ppl.

India and China are growing at an amazingly rapid rate and (in the not too distant future) they will hit a point where the growing consumer base in these countries will drive economic growth within these countries ... A feedback loop which will make these countries the largest and most important economies in the world.