Turkish social assistance for marriage and childbirth

Turkey has introduced several social assistance initiatives aimed at supporting families and addressing demographic trends.

Initially, the ‘Support for Young People to Marry Project’ provided financial aid to new couples. In the pilot province of Kahramanmaraş, over 5,000 couples received a total of 835.1 million lira through interest-free loans. In Bitlis, the Family and Youth Fund was highlighted as a means to reduce economic difficulties for young people, offering economic support alongside marriage counseling and education.

Following these efforts, the Ministry of Family and Social Services implemented a new monthly birth support model to combat declining population growth. This system provides a one-time payment for a first child, followed by monthly payments for subsequent children until they reach age five. For a second child, the total support can reach 90,000 TL over five years, while support for a third child or more can total approximately 300,000 TL per child.

As of September 2026, Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş announced that September birth assistance payments have been transferred to mothers' accounts via Halkbank. To date, the program has benefited 1,355,110 children, with a total of 27.6 billion TL distributed to 1,320,760 mothers. The specific structure includes a one-time payment of 5,000 TL for the first child, 1,500 TL monthly for the second, and 5,000 TL monthly for the third and subsequent children. In Erzurum, local authorities reported distributing 28,978,400 TL to eligible families in August 2026. Applications for these supports are managed through the e-Devlet portal or the ‘İlk Öğretmenim Ailem’ mobile application.