08.04.2026 14:20
While President Erdoğan has repeatedly described the declining birth rates in Turkey as an "existential threat," the Ministry of Health aims to balance the situation with new initiatives and policies that encourage natural childbirth. Most recently, Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu stated that with the "Midwife for Every Pregnant Woman" initiative, all expectant mothers experiencing their first pregnancy will be assigned a midwife after the sixth month.
Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu highlighted the declining birth rates in Turkey while explaining new practices related to pregnancy and policies that encourage natural birth. Memişoğlu emphasized that the cesarean rates are above the world average.
“A MIDWIFE FOR EVERY PREGNANT WOMAN” INITIATIVE Efforts are ongoing to increase birth rates. Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu stated that pregnancy and childbirth are a miraculous journey, and that expectant mothers may sometimes experience anxiety during this process. He noted that there are 61,414 midwives working across Turkey and expressed that the updating of professional regulations has made midwives more effective in the field and in delivery rooms. He announced that under the “A Midwife for Every Pregnant Woman” initiative, all expectant mothers experiencing their first pregnancy are assigned a midwife for one-on-one support during the last three months of pregnancy, regardless of where the follow-up takes place.
Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu “WILL BE BY YOUR SIDE IN THE LAST 3 MONTHS” Memişoğlu stated that midwives will provide one-on-one attention to expectant mothers during the last three months of pregnancy, saying, “In the last 3 months, our pregnant women will have both a friend and a consultant. I want to especially emphasize that every expectant mother waiting for her first motherhood will have a midwife by her side at all times. We want an experienced midwife to be continuously with her during her first pregnancy, to provide reassurance and guidance.”
HIGH CESAREAN RATE Emphasizing that cesarean sections should only be performed in cases of medical necessity, Memişoğlu stated that the rates of unnecessary cesarean sections in Turkey are above the world average.
NATURAL BIRTH ACTION PLAN IN EFFECT Recalling the “Natural Birth Action Plan” conducted under the patronage of Emine Erdoğan, the wife of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Memişoğlu expressed that this plan aims to empower expectant mothers with accurate information and to ensure a worry-free birth process.
BIRTH RATES HAVE FALLEN TO CRITICAL LEVELS Memişoğlu indicated that the decline in birth rates in Turkey poses a demographic risk, stating that the total fertility rate has fallen below the necessary level of 2.1 for the population to renew itself. He reported that the fertility rate, which was 2.1 in 2009, is projected to drop to 1.36 by 2025, indicating a decline of approximately 35%.
BIRTH NUMBERS HAVE DROPPED SHARPLY IN THE LAST 20 YEARS Pointing out the decrease in the annual number of births, Memişoğlu noted that the number of births, which was approximately 1 million 323 thousand in 2001, has decreased to 937 thousand by 2024. It was stated that during this period, the number of births has decreased by approximately 386 thousand, representing a nearly 29% decline.