Housing production shifts to smaller apartments

According to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), the average household size in Turkey decreased from 4 people in 2008 to 3.08 people as of 2025. During the same period, the proportion of single-person households rose to 20.5%, while the share of nuclear families continued to increase. This demographic change directly affects the nature of housing demand. There is now a growing demand for smaller and more functional homes. Industry representatives emphasize that this transformation is not only economic but also sociological.

Changing lifestyles are reshaping housing preferences. Young people marrying later, an increase in professionals choosing to live alone, rising divorce rates, and population moving to big cities for university and work are boosting the need for smaller square-meter homes. Especially in large cities, where people spend most of their time outside, the efficiency of space is more important than size. This trend increases the popularity of 1+1 and 2+1 apartments.

Economic factors are also altering consumer choices. Rising housing prices, high credit costs, and increasing maintenance and energy expenses strengthen interest in more affordable homes with lower operating costs. From an investor's perspective, 1+1 and 2+1 apartments stand out due to lower investment costs, faster rental potential, and appeal to a broad tenant base. Consequently, the share of small apartments in new housing projects is gradually increasing.

The average size of newly built homes in Turkey has been shrinking in recent years. Experts predict that in the coming period, especially in metropolitan areas, the weight of well-planned small square-meter homes will increase. Housing developers are now considering not only current demand but also future demographic structures. This shift indicates that the sector is adapting to demographic transformation.

Mehmet Konuralp Yılmaz, Chairman of Medar İnşaat, stated that the housing sector must closely read demographic changes in the new era. In the past, families were larger and housing projects were planned accordingly. Today, the number of individuals living alone, newly married couples, and small families is increasing every year. Therefore, a shift towards more compact living spaces is naturally observed in housing production. Yılmaz emphasized that explaining this change solely by economic conditions would be incomplete; the main determining factor is the transformation in society's lifestyle.