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Recent data released by Türkiye’s Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK) sparked widespread debate across the country after revealing that the total number of enforcement and bankruptcy files has almost reached 25 million in Türkiye.
On social media and on segments of local media, the figure quickly turned into headlines claiming that “one in four Turks is in debt” or that the country is “living on credit.”
While such interpretations make for eye-catching headlines, they overlook the crucial details behind the numbers.
The 25 million figure does not represent 25 million indebted individuals; it refers to 25 million case files, many of which are inactive, duplicated, or already settled but not formally closed in the system.
Of the 25 million enforcement and bankruptcy files, approximately 6 million are inactive.
These are cases where the debt has already been repaid, but the file remains open due to administrative reasons, such as failure to pay the small fee required to close it, or simply due to bureaucratic oversight.
The remaining files also do not correspond directly to individuals. For example, a single person with multiple bank accounts could have several enforcement cases opened by different lenders.
Similarly, a company facing bankruptcy can generate hundreds of enforcement files initiated by separate creditors.
Türkiye’s large-scale fraud cases, such as the Ciftlik Bank scandal, where thousands of individuals filed complaints to reclaim their money, add thousands of separate case files to the total.
In essence, while the figure of 25 million files may appear alarming, it does not mean 25 million people are struggling with unpaid debt. It reflects the volume of legal proceedings, not the number of individuals experiencing financial distress.
The total amount of debt currently in legal follow-up stands at ₺515 billion ($12.3 billion approx.). While this is a considerable sum, it includes not only the principal but also accumulated interest and legal penalties, which inflate the overall figure.
This means the actual unpaid credit base is lower than the headline number suggests.
Moreover, a significant portion of these cases involves business-related debts rather than household or personal borrowing.
Understanding these distinctions is essential for interpreting the data accurately. Türkiye’s enforcement statistics reflect the complexity of its credit-driven economy, where overlapping files, legal technicalities, and multiple credit sources can easily distort perceptions of individual financial distress.
Before sounding the alarm, it’s worth noting another important detail: the current level of enforcement cases is roughly the same as at the end of 2022. This means the system has already tested this threshold once before—and within what can be described as a previously manageable zone.
As of the end of July, 2.45 million individuals remained under enforcement by banks and financial institutions for outstanding debts, a CHP deputy said.
He added that more than 2 million people have also been placed under enforcement after their debts were sold to asset management companies.
When counted as individual cases, the total number of people facing legal action for unpaid debts has reached 3.85 million.
The surge in enforcement files is a sign of how deeply credit has become woven into Türkiye’s economic fabric—but it is not, as some have claimed, proof that a quarter of the population is in default.
Behind the 25 million figure lies a mix of closed cases, multiple filings, and procedural issues that inflate the total count.
According to data from Türkiye’s National Judiciary Informatics System (UYAP), around 30,000 new enforcement cases are filed each day. The pace is undoubtedly high, pointing to the heavy use of credit and the growing importance of debt collection in daily economic life.
At the same time, total loans extended by Turkish banks have surged. BDDK’s latest report shows that, as of mid-October, the total loan volume increased by 43% year-on-year, rising from ₺14.95 trillion to ₺21.31 trillion (roughly $508 billion at an exchange rate of ₺42 per dollar).
Commercial loans alone climbed 41%, reaching ₺16.2 trillion ($385 billion) compared to ₺11.5 trillion in the same week last year.
This expansion in lending reflects both inflationary dynamics and rising financial activity across the private sector.
However, it also fuels the number of disputes entering the enforcement system, as more individuals and companies engage with credit institutions under increasingly tight repayment schedules.
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