As Birthrates Fall, Türkiye’s Government Steps In

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is pushing for Turkish women to have more babies. Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is pushing for Turkish women to have more babies. Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP
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As Birthrates Fall, Türkiye’s Government Steps In

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is pushing for Turkish women to have more babies. Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is pushing for Turkish women to have more babies. Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP

Alarmed by the fact that Turkish women are having fewer children, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has moved to tackle falling birthrates -- "a threat greater than war" -- through policies designed to bring on the babies.

After declaring 2025 Türkiye’s "Year of the Family", Erdogan last month announced 2026 would mark the start of the "Decade of the Family".

But his pleas for women to have at least three children and offers of financial incentives for newlyweds may not be enough as Türkiye grapples with a deepening economic crisis.

Official figures show Türkiye's birthrate has fallen from 2.38 children per woman in 2001 to 1.48 in 2025 -- lower than in France, Britain or the United States -- in what Erdogan, a 71-year-old pious Muslim and father-of-four, has denounced as "a disaster".

During his 22 years in office -- first as premier, then president -- fertility rates have dropped sharply in this country of 85 million people.

Erdogan has blamed both women and LGBTQ "perverts".

"Women and LGBTQ+ individuals are considered the only culprits for the declining population growth rate, with no acknowledgement of political mistakes," said retired academic and feminist activist Berrin Sonmez.

"People might be hesitant to have children in this chaotic and uncertain environment. Additionally, child support is almost non-existent and education has become the most expensive sector," she said.

No education, no jobs

High inflation has raged in Türkiye for the past four years, forcing education costs up by more than 70 percent over the past year, official data shows.

In the first quarter, unemployment stood at 8.2 percent, or 15 percent among 15- to 24-year-olds.

Researchers with the DISK union say the real rate is 28.5 percent, and 37.5 percent among young people.

But the government seems bent on fixing other issues, such as Türkiye's record number of elective Caesarean births -- which stands at 61 percent, rising to 78 percent in some private hospitals.

In April, Türkiye banned C-section births at private healthcare facilities "without a medical justification".

The procedure generally limits the number of pregnancies to two, or a maximum of three.

C-sections: the 'safer option'

Medical professionals say the high number of C-sections is linked to the rampant privatization of the healthcare system since the late 1990s.

C-sections are more time-efficient for medical staff -- 30 minutes, versus 12 hours for a traditional delivery -- and lower the risk of legal action over complications, said Hakan Coker, an Istanbul-based gynaecologist.

"Ultimately, C-sections are perceived as a guarantee of safety" for doctors and women alike, he said.

Dr Harika Bodur, an obstetrician at a major Istanbul hospital, said some women ask for a C-section "at the first appointment for fear of pain".

"If you refuse, they'll go elsewhere," she said.

The fear is rooted in a lack of education and discomfort with sexuality, she said.

The health ministry says it is now "aiming for a target rate of 20 percent (of C-sections) by encouraging normal childbirth through education of future parents".

But the word "normal" has raised hackles -- notably last month when a football team carried a huge banner promoting vaginal births onto the pitch before a top-flight clash, which read: "Natural birth is normal."

Women as 'birthing machines'

"If I don't want to, I won't have any children at all, it's my right," said 23-year-old chemistry student Secil Murtazaoglu.

"Access to abortion is already difficult. Now they want to limit C-sections. It's all about the oppression of women," she said.

In 2012, the Turkish president described abortion as "murder", but stopped short of banning it.

By offering interest-free loans of 150,000 Turkish lira ($3,800) for newlyweds and a monthly allowance of 5,000 lira from the third child onwards, Erdogan was trying "to turn women into birthing machines", Murtazaoglu said.

Feminist activist Sonmez said women were subjected to huge pressures, both within their families and within society, when the much more pressing issue was the need to tackle gender violence.

"We must start by combating violence against women: such policies have been eradicated and protections seriously undermined," she said.



Firefighters Battle a Wildfire Burning Out of Control on the Greek Island of Chios

A firefighting helicopter during firefighting operations on Chios Island, Greece, 24 June 2025. EPA/KOSTAS KOURGIAS
A firefighting helicopter during firefighting operations on Chios Island, Greece, 24 June 2025. EPA/KOSTAS KOURGIAS
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Firefighters Battle a Wildfire Burning Out of Control on the Greek Island of Chios

A firefighting helicopter during firefighting operations on Chios Island, Greece, 24 June 2025. EPA/KOSTAS KOURGIAS
A firefighting helicopter during firefighting operations on Chios Island, Greece, 24 June 2025. EPA/KOSTAS KOURGIAS

Hundreds of firefighters backed up by aircraft were battling a wildfire burning out of control for the third day on the eastern Aegean island of Chios Tuesday, with authorities issuing multiple evacuation orders.

Towering walls of flames tore through forest and agricultural land on the island, where authorities have declared a state of emergency and have sent firefighting reinforcements from Athens, the northern city of Thessaloniki and the nearby island of Lesbos, said the Associated Press.

By Tuesday morning, the fire department said 444 firefighters with 85 vehicles were tackling the blaze on scattered fronts. Eleven helicopters and two water-dropping planes were providing air support.

Emergency services have issued evacuation orders for villages and settlements in the area since Sunday, when fires broke out near the island’s main town. The fire department has sent an arson investigation team to Chios to examine the cause of the blaze.

“We are faced with simultaneous fires in multiple, geographically unconnected parts of the island — a pattern that cannot be considered coincidental,” Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Giannis Kefalogiannis said Monday from Chios. Authorities, he said, were “very seriously examining the possibility of an organized criminal act, in other words arson.”

The minister said police forces on the island had been reinforced, while military patrols had been doubled.

“Whoever thinks that they can play with the lives of citizens and cause chaos with premeditated actions will be led to court,” Kefalogiannis said. “Arson is a serious crime and will be dealt with as such.”

Wildfires are frequent in Greece during its hot, dry summers. In 2018, a massive fire swept through the seaside town of Mati, east of Athens, trapping people in their homes and on roads as they tried to flee. More than 100 died, including some who drowned trying to swim away from the flames.