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The share of people classified as obese in Türkiye rose to 21.8% in 2025, up from 20.2% in 2022, according to the latest Türkiye Health Survey released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat).
The survey, which assessed body mass index data among people aged 15 and over, showed that obesity remained more common among women than men. In 2025, 24.8% of women were classified as obese, while 32.2% were in the pre-obese category.
Among men, the obesity rate stood at 18.7%, while 43.1% were classified as pre-obese.
The survey also pointed to limited physical activity across the country. The share of men who reported doing no physical activity fell from 85.3% in 2022 to 83.5% in 2025, while the rate among women dropped from 92.7% to 89.7% over the same period.
The World Health Organization recommends that adults carry out at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity per week. However, the share of people in Türkiye meeting a weekly activity of 150 to 300 minutes remained low in 2025, at 4.1% among men and 2.7% among women.
When physical function was examined, difficulty going up and down stairs ranked as the most common problem. The rate was 8.3% among women and 3.7% among men.
Women also reported higher rates of difficulty with walking, learning or remembering. Walking difficulties were recorded at 5.6% among women and 2.8% among men, while learning or memory-related difficulties stood at 5.4% among women and 2.8% among men.
Among children aged 0-6, upper respiratory tract infections were the most common illness reported over the previous six months, reaching 28.5% in 2025. Diarrhea followed at 24%, while lower respiratory tract infections stood at 5.2%.
A similar pattern was seen among children aged 7-14. Upper respiratory tract infections led the list at 24.6%, followed by diarrhea at 16.4% and oral and dental health problems at 8.2%.
Among people aged 15 and over, lower back problems were the most frequently reported health issue in the last 12 months. The rate stood at 24.3% in 2025, slightly below the 24.6% recorded in 2022.
Lower back problems were followed by hypertension at 16.9%, neck problems at 16.7%, diabetes at 11.9% and high blood lipids at 10.1%.
Daily tobacco use among people aged 15 and above increased from 28.3% in 2022 to 30.1% in 2025. The rate was significantly higher among men, at 42.9%, compared with 17.5% among women.
The share of people who did not use tobacco, including former users and those who had never used it, fell from 68% in 2022 to 66.8% in 2025.
Alcohol use over the previous 12 months also rose slightly, from 12.1% in 2022 to 12.6% in 2025. The rate was 18.7% among men and 6.6% among women, while the share of people who did not use alcohol fell to 87.4%.
The survey also showed an increase in cancer screening among women. The number of women aged 40 and over who had a mammogram in the previous 12 months rose from 10.8% in 2022 to 16.7% in 2025. However, 42.4% of women in this age group had never had a mammogram.
The share of women aged 15 and over who had a smear test in the previous 12 months also increased, rising from 7.2% in 2022 to 11.8% in 2025. Still, 59% of women in this group had never had a smear test.
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