Households are changing in Türkiye: Families are getting smaller, poverty is affecting extended families the most

According to TÜİK’s “Family in Statistics 2024” report, family structure is changing rapidly in Türkiye. While the average household size has decreased to 3.11 people, the rate of single-person households has increased to 20 percent. Poverty affects large families the most. More than 70 percent of young adults prefer to live with their parents.

The results of the Address-Based Population Registration System show that family structure in Türkiye is changing rapidly. While the average household size was 4 people in 2008, it decreased to 3.11 people in 2024. This decrease stands out as an important indicator of the change in social structure.

According to TÜİK data, the proportion of single-person households consisting of individuals living alone has also increased. This rate increased from 14.9 percent in 2016 to 20 percent in 2024. It is seen that the trend away from the traditional family structure is getting stronger.

The province with the highest average household size was determined as Şırnak with 4.85 people. Şırnak was followed by Şanlıurfa with 4.63 people and Batman with 4.50 people. The traditional extended family structure continues to exist in the Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia Regions.

The provinces with the lowest average household size were Giresun and Çanakkale with 2.53 people. These provinces were followed by Tunceli with 2.55 people and Eskişehir with 2.59 people. It is observed that smaller households are more common in western provinces and metropolitan cities.

When household types are examined by province, the province with the highest single-person household rate in 2024 is Gümüşhane with 31.7 percent. Gümüşhane is followed by Tunceli with 29.8 percent and Giresun with 29.7 percent.

The province with the lowest single-person household rate was determined as Batman with 11.1 percent. Batman was followed by Van with 11.9 percent and Diyarbakır with 12.3 percent. The traditional family structure continues to have a stronger effect in the eastern provinces.

The province with the highest proportion of single-nuclear family households was Gaziantep with 71.4 percent. Gaziantep was followed by Şanlıurfa with 70.8 percent and Diyarbakır with 70.7 percent.

The province with the lowest rate of single-nuclear family households was determined to be Tunceli with 50.5 percent. Tunceli was followed by Gümüşhane with 51.9 percent and Artvin with 54.1 percent.

The proportion of households defined as a single nuclear family decreased from 66.4 percent in 2016 to 63.5 percent in 2024. Households consisting of only spouses or spouses and their children or a single parent and their children are decreasing.

The proportion of households defined as extended families decreased from 16.3 percent in 2016 to 13.3 percent in 2024. This structure, consisting of at least one nuclear family and other individuals, is gradually decreasing in Türkiye.

In Türkiye, 10.9 percent of households in 2024 will consist of single parents and children. 2.6 percent of these households consist of fathers and children, and 8.4 percent consist of mothers and children.

The province with the highest proportion of households consisting of a single parent and children is Bingöl with 13.5 percent. Bingöl is followed by Elazığ with 13.4 percent and Adana with 13.1 percent.

The province with the highest proportion of extended family households is Hakkari with 20.3 percent in 2024. Hakkari was followed by Batman with 18.7 percent and Bartın with 17.9 percent.

The province with the lowest rate of extended families was Eskişehir with 9.2 percent. Eskişehir was followed by Ankara and Çanakkale with 10.1 percent.

The total number of households in Türkiye in 2024 was recorded as 26 million 599 thousand 261. 42.8 percent of households have at least one child in the 0-17 age group.

It was found that 19 percent of these households had one child, 14.6 percent had two children, 6 percent had three children. 2 percent of households had four children, and 1.1 percent had five or more children.

In Türkiye, at least one elderly person will live in 25.3 percent of households in 2024. Of the total 26 million 599 thousand 261 households, 6 million 726 thousand 583 have a person over the age of 65.

Elderly individuals living alone constitute 1 million 750 thousand 900 of households with at least one elderly member. The number of elderly households is also increasing with the increase in the elderly population.

According to the ADNKS results, 72.6 percent of the 3 million 374 thousand 686 people aged 25-29 who have never married will live with their parents in 2024. 44.8 percent of this rate is male and 27.9 percent is female.

In Turkey, the rate of people who had a consanguineous marriage in their last marriage was determined as 8.1 percent of all official marriages in 2024. 46.4 percent of those who had a consanguineous marriage married their aunt's/uncle's children.

Marriage statistics show that the rate of consanguineous marriages decreased from 5.9 percent in 2010 to 3.3 percent in 2024. The province with the highest rate of consanguineous marriages was Şanlıurfa with 16.9 percent.

According to the results of the Life Satisfaction Survey 2024, 72.9 percent of individuals indicated their families as their greatest source of happiness. This was followed by children with 13.2 percent, themselves with 4.2 percent, and their spouse with 3.4 percent.

In Türkiye, out of a total of 21 million 817 thousand 61 children, the number of children whose fathers have passed away is 258 thousand 515. The number of children whose mothers have passed away is 81 thousand 373.

The number of children whose mother and father have both passed away was recorded as 5,276. Of these children, 2,740 are boys and 2,536 are girls.

According to the data of the Ministry of Family and Social Services, the number of children provided with foster care in 2024 was determined as 10,430. The number of children under institutional care was determined as 15,135.

In 2024, 187,343 couples divorced, while 186,536 children were given custody. As a result of divorce, custody of children was given to the mother at a rate of 74.4 percent and to the father at a rate of 25.6 percent.

According to the results of the household information technologies usage survey, the rate of internet access from home reached 96.4 percent in 2024, while it was 7 percent in 2004. The rate of having a portable computer increased from 0.9 percent to 45.2 percent.

The rate of mobile phone/smart phone ownership increased from 53.7 percent to 99.6 percent. The increase in the rate of technological devices in households is remarkable.

According to the results of the income and living conditions survey, the poverty rate was 21.2 percent in 2024. 26.9 percent of extended families live below the poverty line.

One-person households (11.7 percent) and multi-person households without a nuclear family (15.3 percent) have lower poverty rates. Household type affects poverty risk .

In Türkiye, 56.1 percent of individuals live in a house of their own. 28 percent of the population is renting. The rate of those living in lodgings is 0.9 percent, and the rate of those who do not live in their own house and do not pay rent is 15 percent.

31.3 percent of the population is faced with problems such as leaky roofs, damp walls, and rotten window frames in their homes. The rate of those experiencing heating problems is 30.2 percent, and the rate of those experiencing environmental pollution is 21.7 percent.

While 2025 has been declared the “Year of the Family,” the theme of this year’s International Family Day has been determined as “Family-Focused Policies for Sustainable Development.”