Marriages in Turkey have decreased, divorces have increased! The provinces with the highest number of marriages and divorces have been revealed
According to the 2025 Marriage and Divorce Statistics released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), the number of couples getting married in Turkey has shown a decline compared to the previous year, while the number of divorcing couples has increased. The average age at first marriage has risen for both men and women; a significant portion of marriages ended within the first five years. While Gaziantep was the province with the highest rate of marriage and İzmir had the highest rate of divorce, Syrians ranked first in marriages involving foreign nationals.
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The Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) has released the Marriage and Divorce Statistics for the year 2025. The data revealed that while marriages across Turkey are decreasing, the trend of increasing divorces continues. The average age at first marriage has risen for both genders.
DECLINE IN THE NUMBER OF MARRIED COUPLES
The number of married couples, which was 569 thousand 983 in 2024, fell to 552 thousand 237 in 2025. The crude marriage rate, which represents the number of marriages per thousand population, was calculated as 6.43 per thousand in 2025.
NUMBER OF DIVORCES CONTINUED TO RISE
While the number of divorcing couples was 188 thousand 963 in 2024, it rose to 193 thousand 793 in 2025. During the same period, the crude divorce rate was 2.26 per thousand.
AGE AT FIRST MARRIAGE ROSE FOR BOTH GENDERS
When examining the average age at first marriage by year, it was observed that the upward trend continues. In 2025, the average age at first marriage was 28.5 for men and 26.0 for women. The difference in the average age at first marriage between men and women was recorded as 2.5 years.
GAZİANTEP IS THE PROVINCE WITH THE HIGHEST MARRIAGE RATE
In 2025, the province with the highest crude marriage rate was Gaziantep, with 7.76 per thousand. Gaziantep was followed by Osmaniye with 7.68 per thousand and Şanlıurfa with 7.50 per thousand. The province with the lowest crude marriage rate was determined to be Tunceli, with 4.18 per thousand. Tunceli was followed by Gümüşhane with 4.58 per thousand and Ardahan with 4.67 per thousand.
SYRIANS LEAD IN MARRIAGES INVOLVING FOREIGN NATIONALS
In 2025, the number of foreign grooms was 5 thousand 347, accounting for 1.0 percent of total grooms. The number of foreign brides was recorded as 28 thousand 646, corresponding to 5.2 percent of total brides.
When looking by nationality, Syrians ranked first among foreign grooms with 20.9 percent. Syrian grooms were followed by Germans with 18.8 percent and Afghans with 5.0 percent.
Among foreign brides, Syrians ranked first with 13.8 percent. Syrian brides were followed by Uzbeks with 13.7 percent and Moroccans with 9.6 percent.
İZMİR IS THE PROVINCE WITH THE HIGHEST DIVORCE RATE
The province with the highest crude divorce rate in 2025 was İzmir, with 3.28 per thousand. İzmir was followed by Antalya with 3.21 per thousand and Denizli with 3.14 per thousand. The lowest crude divorce rate was seen in Hakkari, with 0.51 per thousand. Hakkari was followed by Şırnak with 0.52 per thousand and Bitlis with 0.63 per thousand.
A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF DIVORCES OCCURRED IN THE EARLY YEARS
When examining divorces by duration of marriage, it was determined that 34.0 percent of divorces that took place in 2025 occurred within the first 5 years of marriage. 20.3 percent of divorces occurred between the 6th and 10th years of marriage.
CUSTODY WAS MOSTLY GRANTED TO THE MOTHER
As a result of finalized divorce cases, while 193 thousand 793 couples divorced in 2025, custody decisions were made for 191 thousand 371 children. According to the data, 74.6 percent of child custody was granted to the mother, and 25.4 percent was granted to the father.