Divorce rate in Türkiye hits record-high: Official data

ANKARA

Türkiye’s divorce rate reached an all-time high in 2024, with the marriage rate remaining largely stable with a slight increase, the country’s statistics bureau said on Feb. 24.

Figures from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) showed that over 187,000 couples divorced last year, marking a notable rise from the previous year.

The crude divorce rate, which represents the number of divorces per 1,000 people, climbed to 2.19 — the highest figure recorded in the history of the country.

Meanwhile, the number of marriages showed only a slight uptick, increasing from 567,011 in 2023 to 568,395 in 2024.

A striking statistic released by the institute highlights that couples predominantly choose to dissolve their marriages within the initial years of wedlock.

Specifically, 33.7 percent of divorces transpired within the first five years of marriage, while 21.3 percent occurred between the sixth and 10th year.

Regionally, the southern province of Adıyaman registered the highest marriage rate, whereas Antalya, on the country’s southern coast, topped the list for the highest divorce rate.

The data also shed light on the prevalence of foreign spouses in Türkiye, particularly among Syrian nationals.

One in every five foreign grooms who married Turkish citizens in 2024 was of Syrian origin, followed by German and Afghan nationals.

Among foreign brides, Syrian and Uzbek women led the rankings with a 12.1 percent share, trailed by Moroccan and Azerbaijani brides.

These statistics come on the heels of an earlier report highlighting Turkey’s record-low birth rate, which prompted the government to declare 2025 as the "Year of the Family" to incentivize both marriage and childbearing.

On the very day the data was released, Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş announced that Turkish Airlines (THY) will offer families a 15 percent discount on travel until the end of the year. The discount applies to groups of at least three and up to nine passengers sharing the same surname.