While the youth population in Turkey decreases, the number of 'NEET' youth continues to rise

According to TUIK data, there were 12 million 708 thousand 348 young people in Turkey as of last year, with the youth population corresponding to 14.8 percent of the total population. In 2024, this rate was 14.9 percent.

The youth population rate in Turkey has declined to 14.8 percent.

According to the Turkish Statistical Institute's 'Youth with Statistics 2025' research, the youth population in the 15-24 age group constituted 14.8 percent of the population.

While the number of young people across the country was calculated as 12 million 708 thousand 348, 51.2 percent of this figure was recorded as young men and 48.8 percent as young women.

Data based on the assumption that the downward trend in fertility rates will continue shows that the youth population rate will fall to 12.4 percent in 2040, 9.2 percent in 2060, and 7.2 percent in 2080 and 2100. On the other hand, if policies encouraging fertility are successful, the rate could rise to 11.4 percent by 2100.

The province with the highest youth population rate was Şırnak with 20.4 percent. This province was followed by Hakkari with 20 percent and Siirt with 19.8 percent.

The provinces with the lowest youth population rates were listed as Balıkesir with 11.7 percent, Ordu with 11.9 percent, and Muğla with 12 percent.

''THE NUMBER OF 'NEET' YOUTH IS INCREASING''

According to the results of the Household Labor Force Survey, the labor force participation rate among youth was 47.2 percent in 2024 and 47.6 percent in 2025. The labor force participation rate for young men was 59.5 percent in 2024 and 60.1 percent in 2025, while for young women, this rate was 34.0 percent in 2024 and 34.3 percent in 2025.

A decline in the unemployment rate is notable. Youth unemployment has fallen from 16.3 percent to 15.3 percent since last year. The unemployment rate for young men dropped from 13.1 percent to 11.7 percent, and for women from 22.3 percent to 22.1 percent.

However, another important piece of data is the increase in the rate of young people who are neither in education nor in employment (NEET). This rate, which was 22.9 percent in 2024, rose to 23.3 percent in 2025. The rate for men increased from 16.2 percent to 16.3 percent, while for women it reached 30.9 percent from 30.1 percent. This picture indicates that a significant employment and education problem persists among youth, especially for women.