Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned in response to declining birth rates in the country that this situation poses a “greater threat than war”, and since 2026 he declared a decade of the family. At the same time, the Turkish government has come up with new measures to motivate young people to establish families. According to the AFP report, TASR reports this.
Already 2025 is a “year of the family” in Turkey. However, according to AFP, his challenges may not be enough for women to have at least three children. Equally insufficient, financial contributions for the newlyweds may be insufficient, as Turkey is struggling with the deepening economic crisis, recalls the French news agency.
According to official data, birth rates in Turkey dropped from 2.38 children to a woman in 2001 to 1.48 in 2025, less than in France, Britain or the US. Erdogan described it as a disaster. Especially women and “perverts” LGBTQ+blame for low birth rates.
Politicians reject responsibility
“The responsibility for the decline in population growth is attributed exclusively to women and people from LGBTQ+ community, without any recognition of political mistakes,” said feminist activist Berrin Sonmez. “In this chaotic and uncertain environment, people may be concerned about children. In addition, family support is almost zero and education has become the most expensive industry,” she added.
For four years, Turkey has been facing high inflation and unemployment. According to official data, the cost of education has only increased by more than 70 percent over the past year.
Meanwhile, the government has focused on reducing a record high number of caesarean sections. These in the country account for 61 percent of all births, up to 78 percent in private hospitals. Since April, Caesarean births are prohibited without medical justification in private facilities. In general, this procedure reduces the number of births per woman to two, not more than three.
Gynecologist Hakan Coker said that caesarean section is more time consuming for staff, as it takes about 30 minutes compared to 12 hours in natural birth and reduces the risk of lawsuits in case of complications. According to Harika Bodur, some women ask for a caesarean section already on the first visit of a midwife for fear of pain. “If you refuse, they will go elsewhere,” she said. According to her, this fear stems from lack of education and non -community from sexuality. The Ministry of Health claims that it is currently trying to reduce the rate of caesarean sections to 20 percent.
