21.11.2025 00:02
The Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz announced that they will increase the loan support provided to young people getting married through the Family and Youth Fund starting from January 2026, stating, "We will raise it to 250,000 lira for those aged 18-25, and to 200,000 lira for those aged 26-29."
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz stated that they will increase the loan support provided by the Family and Youth Fund as of January 2026, saying, "We will raise it to 250 thousand lira for those aged 18-25, and to 200 thousand lira for those aged 26-29."
VICE PRESIDENT YILMAZ: TURKEY IS HEADING TOWARDS A LOW POPULATION
In his speech at the symposium "Social Panorama 2025: Changing Population and the Future of Family" organized by the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA), Yılmaz noted that the recently introduced book "Social Panorama 2025: Population and Family" will contribute to policy-making and decision processes by addressing the facts and projections regarding the population in a concrete manner, evaluating Turkey's social structure.
Emphasizing that a strong and dynamic population structure is not just a demographic target but a strategic issue that will shape Turkey's future, Yılmaz recalled the historical background of population-reducing policies since 1960.
Yılmaz provided examples of fertility rates over the years, stating:
"We are currently behind some European countries. There is a critical threshold here; if the fertility rate is 2.1, the population remains stable, unchanged. When you fall below this threshold, your population starts to decline after a certain period. If we cannot raise this rate back above 2.1, unfortunately, our population will begin to decrease after a while. There are projections for 2050 and 2100, and we see that our current population will fall below those levels; we see that Turkey is heading towards a much lower population if these rates do not change. 1.48 is the lowest value in our history, and all our efforts are to raise this. These are not figures that will change in 1-2 years. Therefore, Turkey needs to closely engage with this issue over the next decades."
Noting that the aging population is increasing, with the average age rising from 24.8 in 2000 to 34.4 in 2024, Yılmaz stated that the total population ages by 3-4 months each year and varies from province to province. He reminded that Turkey has entered the category of the oldest countries, and the data shows that the proportion of the young population in society will drop to 10% within 20 years.
"WE NEED TO OPEN ALL OUR RESOURCES TO THOSE GETTING MARRIED"
As marriage rates and fertility rates decline, Yılmaz reported an increase in divorce rates, the age of first marriage, the age of first motherhood, the number of single-parent families, the number of individuals living alone, and the aging population. Regarding the age of marriage, Yılmaz stated, "The postponement of the marriage age activates all population dynamics. As a public entity, we need to open all our resources to those who are married and those who will marry. Marriage should be easy, costless, and burdensome. We should not burden those who want to get married. We are trying to do this in the Family Year."
"WE NEED TO ATTRACT QUALIFIED PEOPLE BACK TO TURKEY"
Addressing the issue of reverse brain drain, Yılmaz said, "We need to ensure that we do not lose this to other countries; on the contrary, we need to attract them. First of all, we need to attract our own people, those who have gone abroad and are living there, back to Turkey." Yılmaz pointed out that brain drain is partly a matter of environment and perception, stating, "The romanticized portrayal of conditions there, which does not align with reality, is a serious problem for our youth. I know that many of them face serious disappointments when they go. There are those who could do much more positive and significant work in Turkey with the same qualifications but end up driving taxis in New York. We need to break this image created on social media."
Yılmaz also mentioned the Population Policies Board, stating that they have identified five main working groups: "Legislation," "Working Life," "Health," "Education and Economic Incentives," and "Communication," and they aim to update the action plan by the end of the year.
SUPPORT AMOUNT FOR COUPLES GETTING MARRIED WILL INCREASE TO 250 THOUSAND LIRA
Yılmaz also stated that they have taken concrete steps, saying, "We have decided to make a one-time payment of 5 thousand lira to the mother for the first birth. For the second child, we have decided to provide monthly support of 1500 lira until the child turns 5 years old. If there is a third child, we have decided to provide monthly support of 5 thousand lira until the child turns 5 years old. Thus, we have increased the birth assistance."
Recalling that they have also established the Family and Youth Fund, Yılmaz continued: "Through this fund, we are providing support for marriages on behalf of future generations. We are offering newly married couples a 150 thousand lira interest-free loan with a two-year repayment grace period. Our Ministry of Family and Social Services has included private sponsors, and we have created a mechanism to ensure that young people who postpone their marriages due to lack of means do not have to delay their marriages, with significant discounts on household goods and other supports. Starting from January, we will also increase our support here. We will raise it to 250 thousand lira for those aged 18-25, and to 200 thousand lira for those aged 26-29."