The Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) has released the death and cause of death statistics for 2024.
According to the data, the number of deaths, which was 526,416 in 2023, declined to 489,361 in 2024. Of those who died, 54.8% were men and 45.2% were women.
The crude death rate, which represents the number of deaths per thousand people, dropped from 6.2 per thousand in 2023 to 5.7 per thousand in 2024. In other words, while there were 6.2 deaths per 1,000 people in 2023, this figure dropped to 5.7 per 1,000 people last year.
The province with the highest crude death rate in 2024 was Kastamonu in northern Türkiye, with 10.4 per thousand. It was followed by Sinop (10.0), Edirne and Balıkesir (9.7 each), and Artvin (9.6). The lowest crude death rate was recorded in Hakkari in southeastern Türkiye at 2.2 per thousand, followed by Şırnak (2.4) and Van (2.9).
When analyzed by cause, diseases of the circulatory system were the leading cause of death in 2024, accounting for 36% of all deaths. This was followed by malignant and benign tumors (16.3%) and respiratory diseases (15%).
Among deaths caused by circulatory system diseases, 42.9% were due to ischemic heart diseases, 23.9% to other heart diseases and 18.3% to cerebrovascular diseases.
Looking at the regional distribution of circulatory disease deaths, the highest rate was in Çanakkale in northwestern Türkiye at 50.7%, followed by Karabük at 46.9%, Balıkesir at 43.9% and Çorum at 41.8%.
The provinces with the lowest rates of deaths caused by circulatory system diseases were Kilis with 26.6%, Van in eastern Türkiye with 29.9%, Kayseri, 30.9% and Gümüşhane with 31%.
When looking into deaths caused by malignant and benign tumors in more detail, 29.1% of deaths were due to malignant tumors of the larynx, trachea, bronchus and lung; 8% were due to malignant tumors of the colon; and 7.8% were due to malignant tumors of lymphoid and hematopoietic tissue.
In 2024, the highest proportion of deaths from malignant and benign tumors was recorded in Ağrı in eastern Türkiye at 21.7%, followed by Bingöl at 21.4%, Ankara at 20.7% and Van at 20.3%.
The provinces with the lowest death rates from these diseases were Kilis with 10.1%, Şanlıurfa with 10.9%, Çorum with 11% and Şırnak with 11.4%.
The number of infant deaths decreased from 9,731 in 2023 to 8,475 in 2024. The infant mortality rate, defined as the number of deaths per 1,000 live births, fell from 10.1 in 2023 to 9 in 2024.
The under-5 mortality rate, which refers to the probability of dying before the age of 5, dropped from 14.7 per 1,000 in 2023 to 11.1 in 2024.
