Scattered around all 81 Turkish provinces, foot soldiers of the Turkish health ministry hunt down unknowing civilians. Set up behind small pop-up stands with the obligatory Turkish flags waving above them, they lure in innocent pedestrians to… weigh them.

The health ministry has set out to measure the Body Mass Index (BMI), a measurement of your height, weight, and age to roughly determine body fat, of no fewer than ten million Turks between 10 May and 10 July. They aim to inform citizens about their BMIs and to encourage a healthier lifestyle. Despite the BMI's long list of imperfections, the stakes are high: Turks need to lose weight.

I didn't say it, the World Health Organisation (WHO) did. Today, around 30% of Turkish citizens are obese, double the EU average of 17%, making Türkiye, by far, the most overweight and obese country in Europe. And the predictions are grim: 94% (!) of Turks are set to be overweight by 2060, compared to a global predicted average of 70%.

While it's easy to point to the sugary, carb heavy, and deliciously mouth-watering Turkish cuisine as a culprit, obesity also has political reasons. Weight problems aren't spread equally among the 85 million inhabitants of the Anatolian peninsula. Rural communities have significantly higher BMIs, whereas more urban, coastal regions with better education boast thinner scores.

Women are also significantly more likely to be obese in Türkiye. On average, women marry young in Türkiye, especially in rural communities, and often take on the role of housewives. Only 36.3% of the Turkish labour force are women. Multiple studies have shown that this factor alone massively contributes to female obesity in Türkiye, as the livelihood of married women in rural communities often centres around their house or flat, with limited movement and other inequalities that contribute to obesity.

And the largest of those inequalities is, of course, the i-word. Can't feature a story about Türkiye in 2025 without mentioning inflation. As it increases, people turn towards cheaper, and often less healthy, food options. And yet: being obese is also expensive.

The number one cause of death in Türkiye is cardiovascular diseases (22.08% of all deaths), which are a lot more likely if you have obesity issues. Kidney disease, heart failure, and diabetes put Turkish patients back between €270 and €670 annually. A lot of money for the average Turkish household, with a net minimum wage €498.33.