- COUNTRY PROFILE
- GOALS
- Goal 1
- Goal 2
- Goal 3
- Implementation steps
- Events
- News
- Resources
- LIST OF COUNTRIES
Turkey’s Ministry of Interior is responsible for the civil registration activities, through the District Population Directorates. The registers are digitally centralized through the MERNIS system, which provides a database and filling forms, and attributes a unique personal ID number to each citizen newly registered. The vital statistics are produced by the Turkish Statistical Institute, which uses the MERNIS database and compares the data with population and health surveys and population projection results for quality control.
In 2015, 90% of births were registered in the first year, 95% at the end of second year, and registration was complete after 5 years. The numbers were approximately the same for death registration.
A birth must be registered within 30 days if it occurred within the boundary of country and within 60 days if it occurred abroad. The legal limit for death registration is 10 days. There is no fee both, but if registration does not occur during legally defined limits, fines can be applied. Death reports need to be filed by physicians, or for some communities by the village’s Mukhtar. Death registration is necessary to obtain a funeral permit.
Dr. Sebnem Beşe Canpolat, Head of Demographic Statistics Department, Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat)
Goal 1. Universal civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events |
Goal 1 Targets:
Goal 2. All individuals are provided with legal documentation of civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events, as necessary, to claim identity, civil status and ensuing rights |
Goal 2 Targets:
Goal 3. Accurate, complete and timely vital statistics (including on causes of death) are produced based on registration records and are disseminated |
Goal 3 Targets:
Goal 1. Universal civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events |
Goal 1 is an expression of the internationally accepted principle of the universal coverage of civil registration. The CRVS system should register all vital events occurring in the territory and jurisdiction of the country or area, including among hard-to-reach and marginalized populations.
National Targets:
BASELINE
201499%
MIDTERM
201899%
TARGET
2024100%
MIDTERM
201398.6%
TARGET
2024100%
baseline
2013100%
MIDTERM
2018100%
TARGET
2024100%
baseline
201499%
MIDTERM
201899%
TARGET
2024100%
baseline
2014100%
MIDTERM
2018100%
TARGET
2024100%
Goal 2. All individuals are provided with legal documentation of civil registration of births, deaths and other vital events, as necessary, to claim identity, civil status and ensuing rights |
Goal 2 reflects that CRVS systems provide legal documentation of civil registration to individuals and families for legal and administrative purposes. Legal documentation is strongly linked with a broad range of rights and activities, in particular legal identity. This goal addresses the distinction between the civil registration of a vital event and the possession of formal proof that it took place, in the form of legal documentation.
National Targets:
baseline
2013100%
MIDTERM
2018100%
TARGET
2024100%
baseline
2013100%
MIDTERM
2018100%
TARGET
2024100%
Goal 3. Accurate, complete and timely vital statistics (including on causes of death) are produced based on registration records and are disseminated |
Goal 3 highlights the critical importance of civil registration being linked to the production and quality assurance of vital statistics on the occurrence and characteristics of vital events.
National Targets:
TARGET
Target achieved
TARGET
Target achieved
Note: This target was not monitored as part of the Midterm Questionnaire on the Implementation of the Regional Action Framework for CRVS in Asia and the Pacific.
baseline
2014100%
TARGET
2024100%
baseline
20132.9%
MIDTERM
20184.3%
TARGET
20241.5%
Note: In light of recent countries’ experiences, Verbal autopsy is not encouraged to be applied to a large population scale, but rather on a representative sample. To reflect this, Target 3E is not anymore monitored by the coverage percentage of Verbal autopsy, but by the use or not of Verbal autopsy and its different applications.
baseline
No
MIDTERM
No
TARGET
2024Yes
TARGET
Target achieved
TARGET
Target achieved
TARGET
Target achieved

National Coordination Mechanism
Status in Turkey: Complete

Comprehensive Assessment
Status in Turkey: Complete

National Targets for 2024
Status in Turkey: Complete

Monitoring & Reporting Plan
Status in Turkey: Plans

Inequality Assessment
Status in Turkey: Not started

National Strategy
Status in Turkey: Plans

National Focal Point
Status in Turkey: Complete

Reporting to ESCAP - Baseline
Status in Turkey: Complete

Reporting to ESCAP - Midterm
Status in Turkey: Complete
Turkey’s Ministry of Interior is responsible for the civil registration activities, through the District Population Directorates. The registers are digitally centralized through the MERNIS system, which provides a database and filling forms, and attributes a unique personal ID number to each citizen newly registered. The vital statistics are produced by the Turkish Statistical Institute, which uses the MERNIS database and compares the data with population and health surveys and population projection results for quality control.
In 2015, 90% of births were registered in the first year, 95% at the end of second year, and registration was complete after 5 years. The numbers were approximately the same for death registration.
A birth must be registered within 30 days if it occurred within the boundary of country and within 60 days if it occurred abroad. The legal limit for death registration is 10 days. There is no fee both, but if registration does not occur during legally defined limits, fines can be applied. Death reports need to be filed by physicians, or for some communities by the village’s Mukhtar. Death registration is necessary to obtain a funeral permit.
Dr. Sebnem Beşe Canpolat, Head of Demographic Statistics Department, Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat)