Türkiye experiencing 'demographic disaster' as birth rates plummet

Officials in Türkiye are speaking out about the country's plummeting birth rates, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan promoting pro-family policies in an attempt to bolster the birth rate and avoid a "demographic disaster."

Key Takeaways:

• Türkiye's birth rate has plummeted for the 11th year in a row and is well below the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman.

• Officials have tried to implement pro-family policies in an attempt to promote childbirth.

• Despite this, Türkiye still allows the killing of its preborn children through abortion.

The Details:

Numbers released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) show that the country's current fertility rate stands at 1.48 children per woman, which is well below the necessary replacement rate of 2.1 children. According to Turkiye Today, the birth rate has been steadily falling for the past 11 years.

Daily Sabah reports:

Analysis of the data reveals a pronounced 8.3% decline in births during the first seven months of 2025, totaling 503,765 births, compared to the same period in the previous year. Concurrently, deaths saw a marginal rise of 0.7%, reaching 294,824 within the same timeframe.

The plummeting birth rates have been on the radar of government officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who declared this year the "Year of the Family." Attempts have been made to bolster the population with incentives like interest‑free loans for newlyweds and expanded family support services. According to Newsweek, he has referred to the situation as a "demographic disaster."

The Big Picture:

TurkStat Vice President Furkan Metin said that, demographically, the country is now "very old" — a stark contrast to 30 years ago.

"In the 1990s, Türkiye was like a 20-year-old young adult," Metin said. "If the downturn in fertility continues at this pace, the median age will surpass 45 within approximately 40 years. The vitality and economic dynamism of a Türkiye in its mid-40s will not mirror the demographic energy the country possessed in its 20s."

Last month, Türkiye's Minister of Family and Social Services, Mahinur Ozdemir Goktas, lamented that "50% of families have no children" as she warned that the weakening of the family is the "root of many social problems."

The Bottom Line:

Türkiye joins many other countries throughout the world in its struggle to maintain replacement birth rates. And yet, as has been seen elsewhere, despite the government-level efforts to bolster and promote childbirth, the nation still allows abortion.

A nation that legalizes the killing of some of its preborn children should not be surprised when it experiences demographic difficulties, as family life inevitably flounders.