Turkey is a popular tourist destination. People are attracted to it's clean beaches and amazing historic sites. However, when you want to live in a country, or stay for more than a short tourist visit, other things might come to your mind. You need to feel safe in the place you are living. So, is Turkey a safe country to live in?
Turkey is generally considered a safe country. However, as mush as they like to pretend to be part of Europe, they are still in the middle east region. Being in an unstable region, makes the word "safe" a relative term in my opinion. Compared to Syria or Afghanistan? sure, Turkey is the safest country in the world. However, compare it to somewhere else with higher standards, and it will look like America. So, lets go through different aspects of living in Turkey to decide whether its safe or not.
What is the crime rate in Turkey?
Crime rate in Turkey is considered to be on the low side. However, if you are in a popular place, you might want to hold on to your pockets and keep an eye out for sketchy people as mugging and pickpocketing do happen often.
If you want to compare Turkey to USA for example, it is generally 10 times safer in Turkey compared to US.
Is turkey safe for women?
Turkey is one of the friendliest countries you can visit. locals are kind and welcoming, and they will watch over you to make sure you are safe. A lot of solo travelling women also chose Turkey too. But, being located where it is, with its religion and everything, you should be mindful of what you wear. Not that its against the law to wear revealing outfits, but it might attract the attention of the wrong kind of people. The rape statistics between 2003-2021 shows that there are 1.5 per 100,000 rapes in Turkey. Which puts the country on the 99th place in the ratings. Highest rapes on the planet occurs in South Africa, and the lowest in Liechtenstein with 0 cases.
Does terrorism happen in Turkey?
Yes, it happens from time to time. Every now and then Turkey makes headlines for terrorist attacks that shake the country and make everyone go into panic mode. The terrorist groups present in the country and region makes it a bit unsafe in this regard. again, it depends where you compare it to. if you go to a Turkish news website right now, you see headlines like this almost every week. this mob boss arrested, that Iranian terrorist arrested etc.
Does protests happen in Turkey?
Yes, like any other part of the world protests do happen frequently here too. There are some popular protest areas like Taksim Square in Istanbul, or in front of US embassy in Ankara. Police sometimes intervene in the protests and they might get ugly too.
Is it safe to drive in Turkey?
Depends where are you coming from. I found drivers in Turkey to be lawful compared to where i come from. I especially found it to be safe to be a pedestrian in Turkey. But generally, it is said that drivers in Turkey are aggressive and don't pay attention to basic rules of the road.
Is it safe to walk outside at midnight in Turkey?
Walking alone at midnight could be dangerous anywhere in the world. I found it to be a bit creepy late at night in Istanbul. I saw groups of young thugs drinking outside which made me feel unsafe. but they kept to themselves or I was just lucky I don't know. But there are some neighborhoods in Turkey that have a reputation for being unsafe:
1- Çinçin (Ankara)
2- Yüreğir (Adana)
3- Çilek Street (Mersin)
4- Kadifekale (İzmir)
5- Sarıgöl District (İstanbul)
6- Kore District (Tekirdağ)
7- Dolapdere (İstanbul)
8- Çömlekçi (Trabzon)
9- Tarlabaşı (İstanbul)
10- Muhacir Pazarı (Konya)
11-Çarşamba (Samsun)
12- Bağcılar (İstanbul)
13- Doğanlar (Konya)
14- Çavuşbaş (Afyonkarahisar)
15- Faroz (Trabzon)
16- Kuştepe (İstanbul)
17- Kuyubaşı (Eskişehir)
18- Hacıhüsrev (İstanbul)
19- Zeytinköy (Antalya)
20- Tepecik (İzmir)
21- Gazi Street (İstanbul)
Turkey is generally considered a safe country. However, as mush as they like to pretend to be part of Europe, they are still in the middle east region. Being in an unstable region, makes the word "safe" a relative term in my opinion. Compared to Syria or Afghanistan? sure, Turkey is the safest country in the world. However, compare it to somewhere else with higher standards, and it will look like America. So, lets go through different aspects of living in Turkey to decide whether its safe or not.
What is the crime rate in Turkey?
Crime rate in Turkey is considered to be on the low side. However, if you are in a popular place, you might want to hold on to your pockets and keep an eye out for sketchy people as mugging and pickpocketing do happen often.
If you want to compare Turkey to USA for example, it is generally 10 times safer in Turkey compared to US.
Is turkey safe for women?
Turkey is one of the friendliest countries you can visit. locals are kind and welcoming, and they will watch over you to make sure you are safe. A lot of solo travelling women also chose Turkey too. But, being located where it is, with its religion and everything, you should be mindful of what you wear. Not that its against the law to wear revealing outfits, but it might attract the attention of the wrong kind of people. The rape statistics between 2003-2021 shows that there are 1.5 per 100,000 rapes in Turkey. Which puts the country on the 99th place in the ratings. Highest rapes on the planet occurs in South Africa, and the lowest in Liechtenstein with 0 cases.
Does terrorism happen in Turkey?
Yes, it happens from time to time. Every now and then Turkey makes headlines for terrorist attacks that shake the country and make everyone go into panic mode. The terrorist groups present in the country and region makes it a bit unsafe in this regard. again, it depends where you compare it to. if you go to a Turkish news website right now, you see headlines like this almost every week. this mob boss arrested, that Iranian terrorist arrested etc.
Does protests happen in Turkey?
Yes, like any other part of the world protests do happen frequently here too. There are some popular protest areas like Taksim Square in Istanbul, or in front of US embassy in Ankara. Police sometimes intervene in the protests and they might get ugly too.
Is it safe to drive in Turkey?
Depends where are you coming from. I found drivers in Turkey to be lawful compared to where i come from. I especially found it to be safe to be a pedestrian in Turkey. But generally, it is said that drivers in Turkey are aggressive and don't pay attention to basic rules of the road.
Is it safe to walk outside at midnight in Turkey?
Walking alone at midnight could be dangerous anywhere in the world. I found it to be a bit creepy late at night in Istanbul. I saw groups of young thugs drinking outside which made me feel unsafe. but they kept to themselves or I was just lucky I don't know. But there are some neighborhoods in Turkey that have a reputation for being unsafe:
1- Çinçin (Ankara)
2- Yüreğir (Adana)
3- Çilek Street (Mersin)
4- Kadifekale (İzmir)
5- Sarıgöl District (İstanbul)
6- Kore District (Tekirdağ)
7- Dolapdere (İstanbul)
8- Çömlekçi (Trabzon)
9- Tarlabaşı (İstanbul)
10- Muhacir Pazarı (Konya)
11-Çarşamba (Samsun)
12- Bağcılar (İstanbul)
13- Doğanlar (Konya)
14- Çavuşbaş (Afyonkarahisar)
15- Faroz (Trabzon)
16- Kuştepe (İstanbul)
17- Kuyubaşı (Eskişehir)
18- Hacıhüsrev (İstanbul)
19- Zeytinköy (Antalya)
20- Tepecik (İzmir)
21- Gazi Street (İstanbul)
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