The number of deaths in Türkiye increased slightly in 2025, while infant and under-5 mortality rates continued to decline, according to mortality and causes of death statistics released Thursday by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat).
A total of 491,684 people died in 2025, up from 489,734 the previous year. Men accounted for 55.1% of all deaths, while women represented 44.9%.
The crude death rate, which measures the number of deaths per 1,000 people, remained unchanged from the previous year at 5.7 per 1,000. Sinop, in northern Türkiye, recorded the country's highest crude death rate at 10.8 deaths per 1,000 people, while Şırnak, in southeastern Türkiye, had the lowest at 2.3 deaths per 1,000.
Circulatory system diseases remained the leading cause of death in 2025, accounting for 34.7% of all deaths. Benign and malignant tumors ranked second with 16.1%, followed by respiratory diseases at 15.1%.
Among circulatory disease deaths, ischemic heart disease accounted for 42.3% of cases, making it the leading subtype, followed by other heart diseases and cerebrovascular diseases.
Provincially, Çanakkale, in northwestern Türkiye, recorded the highest proportion of deaths linked to circulatory diseases at 47.7%, while Kilis, in southeastern Türkiye, had the lowest at 25.4%.
Cancer remained the second leading cause of death. Among cancer-related fatalities, malignant tumors of the larynx, trachea, bronchus and lungs accounted for the largest share at 28.9%, followed by colon cancer 8% and lymphoid and hematopoietic cancers 7.6%.
Ağrı, in eastern Türkiye, recorded the highest proportion of cancer-related deaths at 22.4%, while Kilis had the lowest at 9.7%.
The report also showed continued improvements in child survival indicators.
The number of infant deaths fell from 8,484 in 2024 to 6,988 in 2025. The infant mortality rate declined from 9 to 7.8 deaths per 1,000 live births, while the under-5 mortality rate decreased from 11.1 to 9.5 per 1,000 live births over the same period.
