Seventeen years after Türkiye expanded its nationwide indoor smoking ban to restaurants, cafes and other privately operated venues, authorities in Istanbul have carried out more than 1.3 million inspections over the past five years, imposing nearly TL 695 million ($14.7 million) in fines on businesses that violated the rules.
Data obtained by Anadolu Agency (AA) from the Istanbul Provincial Health Directorate showed that inspection teams checked 1,349,147 businesses between 2022 and the first half of 2026. During that period, 25,970 businesses were found allowing smoking in enclosed spaces and were fined a total of TL 694.7 million.
Authorities also temporarily closed 681 businesses for repeated violations, while 1,958 individuals received administrative fines.
The indoor smoking ban, which came into force on July 19, 2009, prohibits smoking in virtually all enclosed public spaces, including restaurants, coffeehouses, cafeterias and pubs, with private residences remaining the only exception.
The measure was introduced to protect non-smokers from exposure to secondhand smoke.
This year, 65 inspection teams comprising 145 personnel are carrying out routine, complaint-based, follow-up and cross-inspections across Istanbul.
More than 1.34 million inspections were conducted between 2022 and the first half of 2026, including 110,405 in the first six months of this year.
The number of businesses found violating the ban rose from 3,210 in 2022 to 8,305 in 2025 before reaching 6,479 in the first half of this year.
Fines for businesses violating the ban have also increased in recent years. They totaled TL 22.3 million in 2022, TL 33 million in 2023, TL 154.6 million in 2024 and a record TL 279 million in 2025. Businesses were fined another TL 205.8 million between January and May this year.
Citizens can report violations to the Istanbul Provincial Health Directorate or through the Health Ministry's SABIM 184 hotline. Between 2022 and 2026, authorities carried out 36,509 inspections in Istanbul following public complaints.
Professor Dr. Hasan Volkan Kara, a member of the Scientific Board of the Turkish Green Crescent (Yeşilay), said smoke-free indoor spaces remain one of the most effective measures for protecting public health.
He noted that tobacco use claims around 8 million lives worldwide each year, including 1.2 million deaths among people exposed to secondhand smoke.
"One of the most important purposes of smoke-free air policies is to protect people who do not smoke," Kara said, adding that harmful particles from cigarette smoke can remain in enclosed environments for up to six months.
He also emphasized that reducing the visibility of smoking in public spaces is key to preventing children and young people from viewing tobacco use as normal, urging smokers to seek free cessation services and encouraging citizens to report violations.