Greece and Turkey, two neighbors separated by the Aegean, find themselves united by a shared existential threat: a rapidly falling birth rate and an aging population.
While both nations acknowledge the crisis—which threatens future economic growth and social security—their rhetorical and policy approaches to encouraging citizens to have more children differ significantly, reflecting deep cultural and political fault lines.
The alarm bells in Turkey: A cultural call to action
In Turkey, the demographic crisis has been framed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as a severe national emergency requiring direct political intervention. As reported in Daily Sabah, President Erdoğan has described the dropping birth rate (which currently stands around 1.48—well below the 2.1 replacement threshold) as a “disaster” and “self-destructive” for the nation.
The language is highly alarmist, directly linking low birth rates to the future survival of the state. Erdoğan has declared 2025 as the “Year of the Family,” emphasizing the institution’s role as a national priority. “No one who cares about the future of this country can remain indifferent in the face of this reality,” Erdoğan said.
The diagnosis of the problem goes beyond simple economics. Erdoğan attributes the decline to factors like urbanization, delayed marriage, women pursuing higher education, and the negative influence of “neoliberal culture.”
A unique aspect of the Turkish approach is the direct appeal to societal support. Erdoğan has explicitly advised fathers to “help their wives more and spend more time with their children,” acknowledging the disproportionate burden on working women and aiming to reinforce the traditional family unit through shared responsibility.
Turkey prioritizes the family institution, offering grants and increased benefits to new parents within this cultural framework.
The pragmatic incentives of Greece: An economic necessity
Greece faces an even steeper demographic challenge, consistently registering one of the lowest fertility rates in the European Union (often around 1.3). The Greek approach, while also viewing the issue as a national security concern, is generally more technocratic and focused on economic incentives within an EU framework.
For Greece, the problem is largely attributed to the prolonged economic crisis, high youth unemployment, the mass emigration of young professionals (the “brain drain“), and the prohibitively high cost of childcare.
The primary policy tool is the direct financial incentive. Greece offers a universal “baby bonus” for every child born in the country, alongside tax breaks and subsidies for families with multiple children.
Recognizing that financial aid alone is insufficient, the government is focusing efforts on increasing the number of public nurseries and kindergartens, often utilizing funds from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility, aiming to make it easier for mothers to return to the workforce.
While the issue is framed as critical, the public discourse often focuses on harmonizing national welfare policies with European best practices to support working parents, rather than on cultural mandates.
A comparative conclusion
Ultimately, both Greece and Turkey are employing state power to counteract a powerful social trend.
Turkey’s strategy, articulated directly by President Erdoğan, is deeply rooted in social conservatism and cultural alarmism, seeking to shore up the traditional family structure and calling on citizens to combat Western “neoliberal” individualization.
Greece’s approach is more pragmatic and economic, utilizing direct fiscal tools and welfare infrastructure to mitigate the high cost of raising children—a necessity largely imposed by a decade of economic austerity.
In both countries, the fundamental question remains whether financial incentives and political rhetoric can successfully override the complex economic pressures and evolving social aspirations that are driving young couples to postpone, or forgo, starting a family.
Turkey and Greece: Current situation and projections
Turkey is expected to continue its growth path, though the rate is slowing (as highlighted by President Erdoğan’s concerns about fertility rates).
Current Situation: The population is currently estimated at around 87.5 million (mid-2024/2025).
Projection to 2050: The population is projected to reach approximately 103.9 million by mid-2050.;
Greece is facing a severe demographic crisis characterized by a “double aging” effect (low birth rate and long life expectancy), compounded by the emigration of young people during and after the financial crisis.
Current Situation: The population is currently estimated around 10.0 – 10.4 million (mid-2024/2025). Note the negative growth rate in recent years.
Projection to 2050: The population is projected to drop to around 8.8 – 9.0 million by mid-2050.
