13.05.2025 14:31
According to TÜİK data, the five provinces in Turkey with the lowest fertility rates have been identified. The provinces with the lowest total fertility rate are Bartın and Eskişehir, each with 1.12 children. Following these provinces are Zonguldak and Ankara with 1.15 children, and İzmir with 1.17. President Erdoğan has emphasized this issue on every occasion, stating, "It is a threat much more significant than war for our country."
```html
The Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) announced the birth statistics for the year 2024. Accordingly, the number of live births recorded in 2024 was 937,559. Last year, 51.4% of live births were male, while 48.6% were female.
The "total fertility rate," which expresses the average number of children a woman can give birth to during her reproductive period (ages 15-49), was 2.38 children in 2001, but has been continuously declining since 2014, reaching 1.48 children in 2024. This indicates that the population has remained below the renewal level of 2.1 for the last 8 years.
THE FIVE PROVINCES WITH THE LOWEST FERTILITY RATE
Last year, the highest total fertility rate was recorded in Şanlıurfa with 3.28 children. This was followed by Şırnak with 2.62 and Mardin with 2.32. The provinces with the lowest total fertility rate were Bartın and Eskişehir, each with 1.12 children. Following these provinces were Zonguldak and Ankara with 1.15 children, and İzmir with 1.17. The total fertility rate fell below the population renewal level in 2017. That year, 57 provinces had a total fertility rate below 2.10, while in 2024, this number increased to 71.
ONLY ŞANLIURFA REMAINS
The number of provinces where this rate remained below 1.50 was 4 in 2017, but increased to 55 in 2024. The number of provinces with a total fertility rate of 3 children or more was 10 in 2017, but only Şanlıurfa remained in 2024. The average total fertility rate of European Union (EU) member countries was recorded as 1.38 children in 2023. When examining the total fertility rates of the 27 EU member countries, Bulgaria had the highest total fertility rate in 2023 with 1.81 children. The country with the lowest fertility rate was Malta, with 1.06 children. Turkey, with a total fertility rate of 1.48 in 2024, ranked 9th compared to EU member countries.
FERTILITY RATE DECREASES AS EDUCATION LEVEL INCREASES
When examining the total fertility rate based on the mother's education level, the highest total fertility rate in 2024 was 2.65 children for mothers who were illiterate or had not completed any school, while the lowest total fertility rate was recorded as 1.22 children for mothers with higher education.
As part of the study, a new classification was also created with the use of the Spatial Address Registration System (MAKS), which more accurately reflects the actual urban-rural structure, distinguishing between "dense urban, medium-density urban, and rural." Accordingly, in 2024, the total fertility rate in areas classified as rural was 1.83 children, while it was 1.58 in medium-density urban areas and 1.39 in dense urban areas.
The crude birth rate, which expresses the number of live births per thousand population, was 20.3 per thousand in 2001, while it decreased to 11 per thousand in 2024. Accordingly, there were 20.3 births per thousand population in 2001, and 11 births in 2024.
THE AGE GROUP WITH THE HIGHEST FERTILITY RATE IS 25-29
The "age-specific fertility rate," which expresses the average number of live births per thousand women in a specific age group, was highest in the 20-24 age group with 144 per thousand in 2001, while in 2024 it was 100 per thousand in the 25-29 age group. This indicates that fertility is occurring at older ages for women.
The adolescent fertility rate, which expresses the average number of live births per thousand women in the 15-19 age group, was 49 per thousand in 2001, but decreased to 10 per thousand in 2024. Accordingly, last year there were 10 births per thousand women in the 15-19 age group. When examining the average duration between a mother's last two births, this duration was 4.6 years in 2019 and increased to 4.7 years in 2024.
Last year, the average duration between the first birth and the second birth for mothers who had their second birth was recorded as 4.3 years. For mothers who had their third birth in 2024, the average duration between the second and third births was 5.4 years. The province with the longest average duration between the first and second births for mothers who had their second birth in 2024 was Kırklareli, with 5.4 years. This was followed by Çanakkale with 5.3 years, and Kütahya, Edirne, Uşak, and Bartın with 5.1 years. The province with the shortest average duration between the second and first births in 2024 was Şanlıurfa, with 2.7 years, followed by Şırnak with 2.9 years, and Ağrı and Muş with 3 years.
THE AVERAGE AGE OF MOTHERS GIVING BIRTH IS 29.3
The average age of mothers giving birth in 2001 was 26.7, while it increased to 29.3 in 2024. The average age of mothers who had their first birth last year was determined to be 27.3. When examining the average age of mothers at first birth by province, the province with the highest average age at first birth in 2024 was Tunceli with 29.4, followed by Artvin with 29 and Istanbul with 28.8. The provinces with the lowest average age at first birth were Şanlıurfa and Muş, each with 24.4, followed by Ağrı with 24.5 and Gaziantep with 25.2.
3.3% OF BIRTHS ARE MULTIPLE
The number of multiple births in 2024 was 31,109. In 2024, 3.3% of births were multiple births, of which 97% were twins, 2.9% were triplets, and 0.1% were quadruplets or more. When examining births in order, it was found that in 2024, 41.9% of births were first births, 30.3% were second births, 16% were third births, and 11.5% were fourth births or more.
ERDOĞAN SAID "IT IS A SURVIVAL ISSUE"
In a statement regarding the issue, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, "It is a threat much more important than war for our country." In another statement, he said, "Turkey has reached a critical juncture in terms of population growth rate. The opposition may not care about this. The opposition may want to dilute this with absurd arguments, but the population issue is increasingly becoming a survival issue for our nation."
```