Marriage rate sees slight decrease in Türkiye: Official data

The number of couples tying the knot in Türkiye reached approximately 565,400 last year, marking a decline compared to figures in 2022, the data by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) has revealed.

According to statistics on marriage and divorce for 2023 published on Feb. 22, an analysis of the average age at first marriage indicated an increase for both genders. The average age for men to enter their first marriage was 28.3, while for women, it was 25.7 in 2023.

Examining marriages involving foreign nationals, the data showed there were 6,345 foreign grooms in 2023, constituting 1.1 percent of all grooms, and 31,029 foreign brides, making up 5.5 percent of all brides.

Analyzing foreign grooms by nationality, German grooms held the first position with 21.9 percent, followed by Syrian and Austrian grooms. On the other hand, Uzbek brides took the lead with 12.0 percent, with Syrian and Azerbaijani brides following them.

TÜİK noted that the number of divorcing couples amounted to nearly 172,000, showing a slight decrease compared to 2022.

About 33 percent of divorces occurred within the first five years of marriage, while 22 percent of divorced couples took this decision in their six to 10 years.

In the aftermath of finalized divorce cases in 2023, 171,213 children's custody was given to either of their parents. The custody of the majority of children, 74.9 percent, was granted to their mothers, with the remaining 25.1 percent to their fathers.