Türkiye’s Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu says the average age at which people begin smoking in the country has fallen to 17, and that authorities are considering stronger measures to prevent young people from accessing tobacco products. Speaking at a Turkish Parliamentarians Union event in Ankara on October 24, Memişoğlu described smoking as one of Türkiye’s most serious public-health challenges.
Figures presented on young people
According to the speech published by the Health Ministry, Memişoğlu cited the latest research by the Turkish Statistical Institute and said Türkiye has about 7.5 million people aged 13 to 17, of whom 2.5 million smoke. He also said the average smoking initiation age is 17. Anadolu Agency separately reported the same figures from the event.
The stated totals of 7.5 million and 2.5 million amount to roughly one-third of that population. However, the source set available for this report does not include a detailed methodology paper or publicly accessible microdata for the new youth research. The figures are therefore presented as numbers cited by the minister in the ministry’s official statement. No additional assumptions are made about frequency of use, survey definitions or sampling beyond what the cited sources disclose.
That distinction matters because “smoking,” “daily smoking” and “having tried a cigarette recently” can be measured as different indicators. Without the wording of the questions, sample size and fieldwork dates, a reliable trend comparison with earlier studies is not possible. The announced totals may need to be reassessed when the underlying methodology and scope are made public.
Electronic age verification under consideration
The ministry is considering electronic age verification as one way to make illegal tobacco sales to minors harder. The proposal would allow a buyer’s age to be checked digitally at the point of sale and strengthen enforcement of the ban on sales to people under 18. It is important to note that the system is not yet a new rule in force; official and news reports describe it as a measure being prepared or evaluated.
A Habertürk report published on October 23, citing Health Ministry research, said 73 percent of respondents aged 13 to 15 were able to buy cigarettes from markets. The same research reportedly found 90 percent support for a digital age-verification system and 92 percent support for restricting people under 18 from entering places where tobacco is used. These results concern different questions—access at sales points and public support for policy options—and should not be treated as interchangeable measures.
The age-verification proposal focuses on enforcement at the point of sale. The available reports do not yet explain which retail channels would be covered, how personal data would be protected, how the system would operate at outlets with limited connectivity, or which authority would oversee compliance. Until those operational details are published, it is too early to estimate the measure’s reach or likely effect.
Older data are not directly comparable
The Turkish Statistical Institute’s 2022 Health Survey reported that 28.3 percent of people aged 15 and over used tobacco products every day. That indicator does not cover the same age range or necessarily use the same definition as the new figures discussed by the minister. It cannot therefore be used as a direct time-series comparison with the youth numbers. It provides separate context showing the broader scale of tobacco use in Türkiye.
Memişoğlu’s remarks put prevention of early tobacco use back near the center of the public-health agenda. The next points to watch are the technical and legal framework for electronic age verification, how inspections would work at retail outlets, and whether the methodology and scope of the youth research will be released publicly. Until those details are available, the announced figures and planned measures should be described with clear attribution and without treating proposals as enacted policy.
