Türkiye’s mediation system has resolved millions of legal disputes over the past 13 years, easing pressure on the judiciary while offering faster and less costly justice, according to data from the Justice Ministry.
Introduced in 2013 as part of alternative dispute resolution methods in private law, mediation has handled more than 8 million cases to date. Over 5 million of those disputes were settled through agreements between the parties, avoiding lengthy court proceedings. In 2025 alone, 1.1 million cases were concluded through mediation.
Officials say the system has significantly reduced the workload of courts by enabling disputes to be settled in a shorter time and at lower cost. Because mediation is based on the voluntary agreement of the parties, it has also helped preserve relationships between individuals while facilitating access to justice.
By resolving disputes without formal trials, both individuals and institutions benefited from savings in time and expenses, contributing to more effective delivery of justice services overall.
Data from the ministry show that mediation became mandatory in certain cases in 2018, a move that coincided with a sharp increase in successful outcomes. That year, agreements were reached in 63,000 files. By 2025, the number of concluded files had risen to more than 1.12 million.
Mediator lawyer Fatma Bozkurt Saraç said that voluntary participation has played a major role in the system’s growth. Of the files concluded in 2025, about 920,000 stemmed from voluntary applications.
“In these cases, the parties themselves chose the mediator who would accompany them in resolving the dispute,” Saraç said. “At least 1.64 million parties resolved their disputes definitively and permanently in a short time, without waiting years for a hearing date, without litigation costs and without facing the risk of an unwanted judicial decision.”
She added that even when mediation does not end in an agreement, it enables parties to negotiate and communicate in a constructive manner. According to Saraç, the competence, impartiality and independence of mediators help ensure effective participation and encourage solutions that better meet the needs of both sides.
Mediation lawyer Semih Biten said 2025 marked a turning point, showing that mediation in Türkiye has evolved into an established solution method rather than merely an alternative.
Nearly 2 million mediation applications were made last year, and the vast majority resulted in agreements, Biten said. “This picture reflects not only judicial statistics but also the mood of society,” he noted. “The culture of reconciliation in Türkiye has moved beyond the initial stage and is taking root. People increasingly understand the difference between being right and actually solving a problem.”
Biten recalled that mediation began around 12 years ago in limited fields and with relatively low numbers. Today, he said, the annual number of applications approaching 2 million demonstrates that the system has been embraced by society and is functioning effectively in practice.
He highlighted that roughly 920,000 mediation applications in 2025 were entirely voluntary, initiated by the parties without any legal obligation. “This shows that people now say, ‘I can solve this without going to court,’” Biten said. “They choose to take responsibility for their own problems instead of burdening the judiciary.”
According to Biten, this preference not only benefits individuals but also represents a significant gain for the judicial system by reducing caseloads, allowing courts to focus on other matters and contributing to social harmony.
“Mediation is not only a legal mechanism but also a transformation of mindset,” he said. “Resolving disputes through negotiation is a matter of culture, and mediation supports the development of that culture.”
He said the 2025 data suggest that Turkish society is increasingly learning the skills of dialogue, listening and compromise. “People now see disputes not as conflicts to be fought but as issues that can be resolved,” Biten said, describing the trend as a sign of long-term cultural change rather than a temporary statistical success.
Observers say the steady expansion of mediation demonstrates the potential for a less adversarial and more communicative society, offering long-term benefits for both the legal system and social cohesion.
