Time may never be enough to ease the pain of the 2023 earthquake, but Türkiye is a nation of resilience, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Friday, hailing what he called a "victory of hope” in the disaster-hit region.

Erdoğan spoke to a solemn and welcoming crowd in Osmaniye, flanked by rows of brand-new apartments built for the survivors of the devastating earthquakes that struck southeast Türkiye starting before dawn on Feb. 6, 2023.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 tremors killed more than 53,500 people, destroyed or severely damaged hundreds of thousands of buildings and caused an estimated $150 billion (TL 6.54 trillion) in economic losses across 11 provinces, including Kahramanmaraş, Hatay, Gaziantep, Adıyaman, Malatya and Şanlıurfa.

"I see a picture of dignity, a victory of hope, of having been able to achieve all this, of having trusted both your state and your nation in the darkest nights and overcome these difficulties heart to heart,” Erdoğan told the thousands gathered in the city’s renewed center, as some onlookers waved Turkish flags from the balconies of their new homes.

"We were shaken by the most devastating disaster in our country’s history. We will mourn, but we will not refrain from moving on either,” Erdoğan said. "I congratulate every one of you for not yielding to despair.”

"We vowed to overcome this disaster, and in under three years, we have rebuilt and revived our earthquake-hit cities. We have kept our promise to you,” Erdoğan said.

"To date, we have completed a total of 455,357 independent units, including 433,667 residences and 21,690 workplaces,” he noted.

Over TL 3.6 trillion has been used to repair damage and make cities stronger against disasters since Feb. 3, 2023, Erdoğan said, noting some TL 653 billion more has been allocated for 2026.

"I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all my fellow citizens for trusting us and sincerely supporting us from day one,” he added.

The Turkish president also hit out at his main opposition, the Republican People's Party (CHP), for claiming his government’s pledge to rebuild homes for the disaster victims would not be fulfilled. Gesturing at the apartments before him, he said: "Here are the completed homes. No matter how much they deny it, our people know what we have accomplished.”

"We did not succumb to their toxic politics aimed at intimidating us and breaking our will,” he said. "We have shown the world the best example of state-nation solidarity, rose from our ashes and healed from the wounds of the earthquake together.”

Three years after devastating earthquakes, Türkiye has completed one of the largest reconstruction efforts in its history, rebuilding housing, infrastructure and economic networks across the affected provinces while mobilizing billions in domestic and international financing.

Rebuilding

Turkish officials launched a sweeping rebuilding program shortly after the disaster, pledging rapid housing reconstruction, economic revitalization and social rehabilitation.

Erdoğan repeatedly pledged to deliver permanent housing to survivors within a year, later expanding those commitments as construction progressed. More than 455,000 housing units and workplaces have been handed over to survivors across the quake-hit region as of early 2026.

Large-scale residential projects have been completed in districts such as Antakya and Defne in Hatay province, Nurdağı and Islahiye in Gaziantep province, and Onikişubat and Dulkadiroğlu in Kahramanmaraş province, areas that experienced some of the heaviest destruction. New housing developments incorporate stricter earthquake safety standards and expanded urban planning measures designed to improve long-term resilience.

Government officials also prioritized rural reconstruction. International co-financing from the World Bank and the French Development Agency supported the rebuilding or renewal of approximately 2,800 rural homes, particularly in villages across Malatya and Adıyaman provinces.

Infrastructure, public services

Reconstruction has extended beyond housing to public infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, transportation networks and municipal services. New health care facilities have been constructed in Hatay, while dozens of schools have been rebuilt or reinforced across Kahramanmaraş and Adıyaman.

Urban transformation initiatives have introduced updated zoning regulations and strengthened construction oversight. Officials say new building codes require enhanced seismic resistance standards designed to reduce future disaster risks.

Global help, economic recovery

To finance recovery, Türkiye mobilized approximately TL 265 billion in external funding through partnerships with international financial institutions, development agencies and lenders. These funds supported rebuilding public infrastructure, strengthening urban resilience and sustaining economic activity in the region, officials say.

In 2023, the World Bank provided approximately TL 30.2 billion to support projects led by the Health Ministry, the Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Ministry, and the state lender Ilbank. Another TL 13.7 billion was directed through the Small and Medium Enterprises Development and Support Administration, or KOSGEB, to help businesses maintain operations and preserve jobs.

The European Investment Bank added roughly TL 13.1 billion in financing that year for infrastructure and municipal recovery projects.

Additional international support continued in 2024. The World Bank provided approximately TL 18.3 billion for projects under the Industry and Technology Ministry and TL 7.4 billion for agricultural recovery programs through the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry. The Japan International Cooperation Agency extended about TL 11.8 billion to support urban reconstruction and health care investments.

Financing momentum continued into 2025 as reconstruction efforts expanded. The World Bank and the French Development Agency jointly provided approximately TL 14.4 billion to support rural housing projects. Meanwhile, the Islamic Development Bank contributed roughly TL 6.1 billion in long-term financing for urban transportation and reconstruction programs.

Authorities also launched the Disaster Reconstruction Fund in 2025 to accelerate rebuilding. The fund secured approximately TL 14.8 billion in financing, led by Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank with participation from Doğan Investment Bank.

Employment support

Officials said the financing programs were designed not only to rebuild physical infrastructure but also to stabilize regional economies. Funds have been directed toward protecting employment, preventing disruptions in credit access and ensuring liquidity for businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises and exporters.

Economic rehabilitation measures included targeted loan programs, tax relief and investment incentives aimed at reviving manufacturing and agriculture across the affected provinces. Officials said these programs helped preserve production capacity and encouraged new investment in industrial zones in Gaziantep and Kahramanmaraş.

Social, cultural rehabilitation

Social recovery programs have focused on supporting displaced residents and restoring community life. Authorities established temporary accommodation centers, psychological support services and educational continuity programs for displaced students.

Cultural restoration projects have also been launched to rebuild historic sites and preserve regional heritage damaged in the disaster, particularly in Hatay, which contains numerous archaeological and religious landmarks.

Ongoing efforts

Government officials maintain that reconstruction efforts remain ongoing but say significant progress has been made in restoring normal living conditions across the region. Authorities project that full reconstruction and economic stabilization efforts will continue through the late 2020s as Türkiye completes long-term urban redevelopment and infrastructure strengthening projects in the region.