Turkey launches plan to boost family support and birth rate

The government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this week announced sweeping measures aimed at combating declining birth rates, rising divorce rates, and an ageing population that officials warn could threaten Turkey’s social and economic stability.

Under a new programme approved by parliament and launched at the beginning of this year, families welcoming newborns are eligible for financial incentives. Parents can receive a one-off payment of 5,000 lira (around £105) for their first child, 1,500 lira (about £32) monthly for their second child, and 5,000 lira monthly for a third. Turkish citizens living abroad are also eligible to apply through embassies and consulates.

The programme is part of a broader effort to counter what officials describe as strategic risks to Turkey’s future.

Rising living costs have been widely blamed for discouraging marriage and family formation. Furnishing and setting up a home now costs over 500,000 lira (about £10,400), according to Istanbul resident Miray Altinbas, who spoke to The New Arab's Arabic sister outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

"The soaring prices of houses, rents, furniture, and appliances are natural excuses for young people delaying marriage," she said, adding that traditional dowry expectations are generally not a major concern for Turkish families. 

Altinbas noted that the custom of giving financial gifts at weddings remains an incentive for marriage. "These gifts can often cover most wedding expenses and sometimes help furnish the home," she said.

Government steps in to boost family formation

The Ministry of Family and Social Services has signed agreements with the private sector to offer large discounts on furniture, home goods, and appliances. Discounts include up to 35% on furniture and about 50 percent on appliances. Special "wedding packages" offering bedroom, dining, and living room sets at reduced prices — between 80,000 lira (£1,665) and 195,000 lira (£4,060) — have been introduced, with additional discounts for newlyweds.

Transport companies also announced offers, including 40% off intercity bus fares for families travelling together and 15% off domestic flights with Turkish Airlines through the end of the year

Speaking at the launch of Turkey’s "Year of the Family" campaign, Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Ozdemir Goktaş said the initiative is rooted in the Turkish Constitution, which defines the family as the foundation of society and obliges the state to protect its welfare.

Goktaş told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that "the social and cultural transformations of the current era — including demographic changes and the rise of individualism — directly affect the structure and functions of families," requiring comprehensive, sustainable policies.

The government’s strategy is outlined in the "Family Protection and Strengthening Vision Document and Action Plan (2024–2028)", prepared under Presidential Circular No. 6. A coordinating council — composed of the Ministers of Justice, Interior, and Health, along with the Presidency of Religious Affairs — is tasked with ensuring coordination between agencies.

Researcher Mohammad Kamel Demirel of the Istanbul Centre for Studies told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Turkey is facing a "strategic" demographic challenge. Fertility rates have fallen from 2.38 children per woman in 2001 to 1.51 today, well below the replacement rate of 2.1. Meanwhile, the annual population growth rate dropped from 7 per thousand in 2022 to 1.1 per thousand in 2023, and the elderly population has reached 10% for the first time. The median age in Turkey now stands at 34.

Demirel noted that the average marriage age has risen to 26 for women and 28 for men, while the average age of first-time motherhood now exceeds 29. Divorce rates have also climbed, with 33.4% of marriages ending within the first five years and 21.7% between the sixth and tenth years.

Beyond financial support, the plan includes promoting flexible and remote work, expanding free or affordable childcare services, providing housing support, and offering enhanced medical services to encourage childbirth.

Demirel said the government’s declaration of 2025 as the "Year of the Family" is intended to strengthen social cohesion.

"The goal is to enhance stability, tackle declining fertility and marriage rates, and reinforce bonds between generations in facing the challenges of the modern era," he told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.