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At least 152 workers died in April 2025 as a result of occupational accidents and unsafe working conditions across Türkiye, according to the monthly report of Türkiye's Health and Safety Labour Watch Council (ISIG). With 611 fatalities recorded in the first four months of the year.
Fatal incidents were most common in construction, agriculture, transportation, office-based sectors (including education and cinema), and metal industries. Based on the report:
Unregistered workers, seasonal laborers, forest workers, and long-distance drivers remain among the most vulnerable. High falls on construction sites made up 33% of deaths in that sector, while 90% of fatalities in transportation were due to traffic accidents.
Eight child laborers died in April, with cases reported in agriculture, construction, mining, and energy sectors. Four women workers also lost their lives, employed in agriculture, textile, and general services.
Seven migrant workers, originally from Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, and Turkmenistan, were among the victims. These workers were employed in agriculture, construction, and the metal industries.
Only six of the deceased workers (3.94%) were union members, while 146 (96.06%) were not affiliated with any labor organization. The few unionized workers were employed in the metal, education, construction and security sectors.
The report highlights child labor and poverty as major concerns for 2025. OECD data shows that at least 6.5 million children in Türkiye live in severe poverty. Around one in four adolescents aged 15–17 are already part of the labor force, with this number rising to nearly 2 million during summer months due to seasonal work.
Alarmingly, child labor is reportedly being normalized through policy decisions. Programs such as the expansion of vocational training centers and the lowering of apprenticeship age to 11–12 are said to be contributing to the increase.
Since 2013, at least 764 child laborers have died in Türkiye, with nearly one-third under the age of 15.
The leading causes of death in April were:
Workplace fatalities occurred in 54 cities in Türkiye and four foreign countries where Turkish workers were temporarily employed. The highest number of deaths was in Istanbul (19), followed by Ankara and Izmir (seven each), and Antalya and Sakarya (six each).
The ISIG estimates that over the past 23 years, at least 33,000 occupational fatalities have occurred in Türkiye.
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