Türkiye’s fertility rate fell to 1.42 children per woman last year, continuing its uninterrupted decline and remaining well below the population replacement level of 2.10 for the ninth consecutive year, according to official birth statistics.
The total fertility rate — defined as the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime between the ages of 15 and 49 — has steadily decreased since peaking at 2.38 in 2001, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) said on May 21. The downward trend has continued without interruption since 2014.
The number of provinces with fertility rates below the replacement threshold rose sharply over recent years. While 57 of the country’s 81 provinces were below 2.10 in 2017, that number climbed to 76 in 2025.
The report also highlighted a significant rise in provinces with very low fertility rates.
In 2017, only four provinces had fertility rates below 1.50, compared with 59 provinces in 2025.
At the same time, the number of provinces with fertility rates above three children fell from 10 to only one — the southeastern city of Şanlıurfa.
Compared internationally, Türkiye ranked 11th among European Union countries in fertility rates. EU member states averaged 1.34 children per woman in 2024.
The statistics pointed to a strong link between education and birth rates. Women with only a primary school education had the highest fertility rate at 2.51 children, while university graduates recorded the lowest at 1.24.
The figures come as the government has intensified its focus on family and population policies amid concerns over demographic trends, declining household sizes and aging demographics.
Türkiye has also designated the final week of May as “family week,” to be marked annually under a broader state-backed family policy initiative.
