A still young population, some of the earliest exits in the OECD and pension spending climbing fast since the age condition was lifted in 2023, while inflation erodes pensions and the minimum pension is raised twice a year.
Key points
- Turkish pension spending rose from 5.2% to 6.1% of GDP between 2023 and 2024 (Eurostat).
- The minimum pension was raised to 23,552 lira a month in July 2026, after 20,000 lira in January.
Citoyen synthesis for the Pensions category in Türkiye. Grounded in the sector's quantitative data (Eurostat, OECD, SGK, Ministry of Labour and Social Security). All values are the latest realized observation available — never a forecast. Assessments are distinguished from sourced facts. Data last updated: November 2026.
1. State of play — where Turkish pensions stand
Spending rising fast. According to Eurostat (ESSPROS, all pensions, public and private), Türkiye devoted 6.1% of its GDP to pensions in 2024, against 5.2% in 2023 — a one-point jump in a year. The OECD's SOCX database, which only counts public cash old-age and survivors' benefits, gave 6.1% in 2021: ⚠️ the two measures have different scopes and cannot be compared as a single series.
The EYT effect. The February 2023 law known as EYT ("retirement-age victims") removed the age condition for people insured before September 1999 who met the contribution requirements: a large number of them, often in their forties or fifties, were able to claim their pension at once. For more recent entrants, the legal age, set at 58 for women and 60 for men, rises gradually to 65 by 2048.
Very early exits. The OECD estimates the average age of exit from the labour market at 60.8 for men and 60.5 for women in 2024 — among the lowest in the OECD. The employment rate of people aged 60-64 was only 32.2% in 2025 (Eurostat), against 55.0% in the European Union.
Retirees poorer than the rest of the population. The median income of people aged 65 and over was 0.82 times that of the under-65s in 2025 (Eurostat, EU-SILC), against 0.91 in the EU. With inflation still high, pensions are uprated twice a year in line with six-month inflation: +17.76% in July 2026 for retirees of the general scheme (SSK) and of the self-employed scheme (Bağ-Kur).
A minimum pension set by law. Because many calculated pensions remain very low, Parliament sets a floor: 20,000 lira a month in January 2026, then 23,552 lira from July 2026. The bill costed the measure at about 79 billion lira for the second half of the year, for some 5.1 million beneficiaries. Pensioners' unions and the opposition consider the amount below the hunger threshold calculated by trade unions; the government points to budget constraints.
A mainly public system. The main pillar is the pay-as-you-go scheme run by the SGK, which pays benefits to about 17 million people (published counts range from 16 to 18 million depending on whether survivors are included). Its deficit is covered by the State budget; the Minister of Labour expects SGK revenues to cover 88% of its spending at end-2026. Private saving (BES, voluntary, and OKS, automatic enrolment of employees since 2017) remains a supplement.
2. Outlook — where pensions are heading
Demography still favourable, but not for long. People aged 65 and over made up 10.6% of the population on 1 January 2025 (Eurostat), and the old-age dependency ratio was 15.5%, less than half the EU level (34.5%). But fertility has fallen to 1.48 children per woman in 2024 (World Bank), below that of France, and ageing will accelerate.
The complementary pension project (TES). The 2026 Presidential Annual Programme plans to turn automatic enrolment (OKS) into a second pillar with employer contributions, the Tamamlayıcı Emeklilik Sistemi. The launch, first announced for the second quarter of 2026, has slipped; to our knowledge, no law had been passed in early November 2026. How it would interact with severance pay ("kıdem tazminatı") remains the most sensitive point for trade unions.
The debate over pensioners' purchasing power. The January 2027 uprating, based on second-half 2026 inflation, and the level of the minimum pension will be at the heart of the year-end budget debates. The government defends a policy of disinflation and fiscal discipline; the opposition calls for catch-up increases and a bonus for retirees.
Open questions. Three issues will shape the period: (1) containing spending that has grown faster than GDP since EYT; (2) protecting the purchasing power of pensions amid high inflation; (3) building a complementary pillar before ageing accelerates.
3. International comparison — Türkiye among its peers
On the same Eurostat series, Türkiye stands out as a young and still inexpensive system, but with very early exits.
Three lessons. (1) Spending: about half the European average. At 6.1% of GDP in 2024, against 12.6% in the EU, 15.0% in France and 15.9% in Italy — a gap mainly explained by a much younger population.
(2) Employment of older workers: the lowest in the group. At 32.2% for people aged 60-64 in 2025, Türkiye lags far behind Germany (67.6%), the EU (55.0%), Italy (50.4%) and even France (44.4%).
(3) Living standards of older people: lagging. The median income ratio of people aged 65 and over (0.82) is close to Germany's (0.83) but below those of France (0.97) and Italy (1.00).
International comparison — pensions
| Country | Pension spending (% GDP, 2024) | Employment 60-64 (2025) | Median income 65+ / <65 (2025) | Exit age, men (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 15.0% | 44.4% | 0.97 | 61.9 |
| Germany | 11.7% (p) | 67.6% | 0.83 | 64.2 |
| Italy | 15.9% | 50.4% | 1.00 | 64.0 |
| European Union | 12.6% (p) | 55.0% | 0.91 | 63.9 |
| Türkiye | 6.1% | 32.2% | 0.82 | 60.8 |
Sources: spending = Eurostat ESSPROS (spr_exp_pens, all pensions); employment = Eurostat (lfsa_ergan); income = Eurostat EU-SILC (ilc_pnp2); average age of labour-market exit = OECD, Pensions at a Glance. (p) = provisional.
Data mobilized (data-journalism base)
Show the table
| Data | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Pension spending (ESSPROS) | 6.1% of GDP (2024) | Eurostat — spr_exp_pens (Citoyen card) |
| Average age of labour-market exit | Men 60.8 · women 60.5 (2024) | OECD — Pensions at a Glance (Citoyen card) |
| Employment rate, aged 60-64 | 32.2% (2025) | Eurostat — lfsa_ergan (Citoyen card) |
| Relative median income, aged 65+ | 0.82 (2025) | Eurostat — ilc_pnp2 (Citoyen card) |
| Share of people aged 65+ | 10.6% (2025) | Eurostat / World Bank (Citoyen card) |
| Old-age dependency ratio | 15.5% (2025) | Eurostat — demo_pjanind |
| Minimum pension | 23,552 lira/month (July 2026) | TBMM / SGK |
Sources (national analyses and references)
Eurostat (ESSPROS — spr_exp_pens; EU-SILC — ilc_pnp2; labour force survey — lfsa_ergan; demo_pjanind) · OECD (SOCX; Pensions at a Glance) · World Bank (WDI) · SGK (Sosyal Güvenlik Kurumu) · Ministry of Labour and Social Security · TBMM (minimum pension and EYT laws) · 2026 Presidential Annual Programme (TES) · press: Daily Sabah, Hürriyet, Turkish Minute, Duvar English.
Methodological note — the synthesis distinguishes sourced facts from assessments, stays neutral, dates every figure, and does not extrapolate beyond its sources. Eurostat ESSPROS spending and OECD SOCX spending have different scopes and are never compared as a single measure. Lira amounts are nominal, amid high inflation. All values are the latest realized observation available (no forecasts). Same safeguards as the rest of the observatory.