Air pollution in Turkey

In Turkey, air pollution kills more people than any other environmental issue. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) says 99% of the global population breathes unsafe air. No province in Turkey meets the WHO guidelines for clean air. In 2024, more than 60,000 people in that country are estimated to have died from air-pollution-related illnesses. Air pollution is particularly damaging to children's health.

Road transport and sometimes coal burning pollute towns and cities. There is no legal limit on fine particulates that cause lung and other diseases. Cars and lorries spread diesel exhaust, dust, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and other fumes. There are no clean-air zones and tariffs on electric cars are higher than on cars with combustion engines. Although electric-vehicle manufacturing and sales are increasing, policy is poorly co-ordinated, and as of 2023, health impact assessment is not done in Turkey.

Soot from the burning of wood for cooking and heating pollutes households and some cities. Low-quality lignite coal, which is burnt in cities and in the oldest of the country's coal-fired power stations, is also a big part of the problem. Some plant-specific pollution data is collected by the Environment Ministry but is not usually published. As of 2025, air quality in Turkey is below that of standards set by the European Union (EU). The civil-society organization Right to Clean Air Platform Turkey estimates the lack of a legal limit on fine particulates cost Turkey's economy 10% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024.