Erdoğan highlights importance of increasing Turkey's population

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, an advocate of incentives to increase the population, raised the issue again while speaking with artists and youth at an event in Istanbul.

He invited society to contribute to increasing the numbers as the country faces a future population crisis.

“I am a grandfather of nine, and this is really something beautiful. I always tell the couples to have at least three children, and this is a must to build a strong family,” Erdoğan said.

Türkiye has declared 2025 as the “Year of the Family,” signaling urgent concern over the country’s declining fertility rates. The Turkish leader characterized the current demographic trend as a “disaster,” citing Turkish Statistical Institute data showing the fertility rate fell to 1.48 in 2024.

“We declared 2025 as the Year of the Family, and as Muslims, we want to increase the population of our country,” Erdoğan said.