Turkey recorded at least 2,105 deaths in work-related accidents in 2025, according to a recent report by the Health and Safety Labor Watch (İSİG).
The figure marks an 11 percent increase from 2024, when 1,897 workers were killed, and is the highest annual total in at least a decade, the group said.
Most of the fatal workplace accidents occurred in the construction sector, which accounted for 23 percent of the total, followed by transportation with 13 percent and agriculture with 11 percent.
İstanbul led all provinces in the number of work-related accidents.
İSİG said those killed in 2025 included 94 minors, of whom 26 were under 14, as well as 91 migrant workers. The number of minor deaths was the highest recorded since the group began collecting data in 2010.
The most frequent cause of death was traffic accidents, which accounted for 22 percent of all workplace deaths, while crush accidents accounted for 18 percent and falling from heights represented 17 percent.
Workplace accidents remain a chronic problem in Turkey, where lax enforcement of occupational health and safety standards continues to cost lives.
Turkey made progress in aligning its occupational health and safety legislation with European Union standards after it became an EU candidate country in 1999 and also ratified the relevant International Labour Organization conventions in 2005. However, implementation and enforcement of these standards have been far less effective. In recent years an influx of migrants and growing economic instability have further undermined workplace safety, as investments in safety measures declined and informal employment increased.
According to İSİG data, nearly 35,000 workers have died in workplace accidents since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in November 2002.
Turkey’s poor record on labor rights has also been highlighted internationally. A yearly report produced by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) on labor rights revealed that Turkey is one of the 10 worst countries in the world for workers in industrial sectors. According to the Brussels-based ITUC, workers’ freedoms and rights have been further denied since police crackdowns on protests in Turkey in 2025, while strikes and attempts to unionize were prevented by authorities.
