Number of Marrying Couples Decreased in 2023

The number of marrying couples decreased by 1.81 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year, reaching 565,435. The Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) announced the Marriage and Divorce Statistics for 2023. Accordingly, the number of marrying couples was 575,891 in 2022, while it decreased to 565,435 in 2023. The crude marriage rate, which indicates the number of marriages per thousand population, was 6.63 per thousand in 2023. The number of divorcing couples was 171,881 in 2023. While the number of divorcing couples was 182,437 in 2022, it decreased to 171,881 in 2023. The crude divorce rate, which indicates the number of divorces per thousand population, was 2.01 per thousand in 2023. Average age at first marriage increased When the average age at first marriage was examined by years, it was observed that the age of first marriage increased in both sexes. The average age at first marriage was 28.3 for men and 25.7 for women in 2023. The difference in the average age at first marriage between men and women was 2.6 years. The province with the highest crude marriage rate was Kilis with 8.09 per thousand The province with the highest crude marriage rate in 2023 was Kilis with 8.09 per thousand. It was followed by Aksaray with 7.81 per thousand and Gaziantep with 7.57 per thousand. The province with the lowest crude marriage rate was Gümüşhane with 4.52 per thousand. It was followed by Tunceli with 4.82 per thousand and Malatya with 4.98 per thousand. The number of foreign grooms was 6,345 while the number of foreign brides was 31,029 When marriages involving foreign individuals were examined within the total marriages, the number of foreign grooms in 2023 was 6,345, constituting 1.1 percent of the total grooms, while the number of foreign brides was 31,029, constituting 5.5 percent of the total brides. When foreign grooms were examined by nationality, German grooms ranked first with 21.9 percent among foreign grooms. German grooms were followed by Syrian grooms with 19.2 percent and Austrian grooms with 5.1 percent. When foreign brides were examined by nationality, Uzbek brides ranked first with 12.0 percent among foreign brides. Uzbek brides were followed by Syrian brides with 11.3 percent and Azerbaijani brides with 9.1 percent. The province with the highest crude divorce rate was İzmir with 3.05 per thousand The province with the highest crude divorce rate in 2023 was İzmir with 3.05 per thousand. It was followed by Antalya with 2.94 per thousand and Karaman with 2.80 per thousand. The province with the lowest crude divorce rate was Hakkari with 0.36 per thousand. It was followed by Şırnak with 0.44 per thousand and Muş with 0.55 per thousand. 33.4 percent of divorces occurred within the first five years of marriage When divorces were examined by the duration of marriage, 33.4 percent of divorces in 2023 occurred within the first 5 years of marriage, while 21.7 percent occurred within 6-10 years of marriage. 171,213 children were affected by divorce incidents in the past year As a result of finalized divorce cases, 171,881 couples divorced in 2023, and 171,213 children were given custody. It was observed that custody of children was mostly given to the mother as a result of divorce cases. In 2023, 74.9 percent of children were given to the mother, while 25.1 percent were given to the father.