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Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has ordered a study on four critical national issues: the social security system, social welfare programs, public sector spending and declining population growth, according to columnist Nuray Babacan.
In her column titled “Four Problems, Four Dilemmas,” Babacan reported that a strategy development group at the party headquarters will prepare reports on the issues, which she described as increasingly “intractable.”
Experts have long warned that Türkiye’s social security system is approaching collapse.
Babacan noted that after reforms such as the early retirement adjustment (EYT), the ratio of workers to retirees has become unsustainable.
Globally, three workers support one retiree, whereas in Türkiye, one worker supports roughly 1.5 retirees.
Other problems include informal employment, early retirement, political interference in the system, inefficient use of funds, incomplete collection of premiums, and high contribution rates.
Babacan highlighted complaints that government aid programs often fail to reach those in need.
Overlapping programs run by multiple agencies, including municipalities, are difficult to track and sometimes serve as political tools, disadvantaging some recipients.
Public sector spending was described as a “black hole.” Budget discipline and spending controls have failed to prevent inefficiencies, excessive luxury expenditures, and favoritism in public procurement.
Measures such as restricting travel or office expenses alone are insufficient to address systemic issues.
The AK Party strategy group will also examine Türkiye’s falling birth rates and aging population.
Projections indicate the elderly population will rise from 13.5% in 2030 to 38.5% by 2080.
Babacan stressed that fertility rates have dropped below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman, and government efforts encouraging higher birth rates, such as directives for families to have three children, may have unintended consequences.
Babacan noted that previous reform packages on democracy, justice, and public administration failed to materialize, leaving uncertainty about whether this new initiative will produce meaningful results.
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