As Turkey celebrated its annual Youth and Sports Day on Monday, many young people found little to cheer about.
The national holiday — which commemorates the start of Turkey’s War of Independence in 1919 and is dedicated to the country’s youth — was marked by official ceremonies and patriotic displays. But behind the festivities, Turkish youths are grappling with economic hardship and political disillusionment.
Surveys show that nearly 60 percent of young Turks (ages 15–24) would live abroad if given the opportunity, a stark indication of their frustration and waning optimism at home.
Economic strains top the list of youth concerns.
Fewer than four in 10 Turks aged 15–24 are part of the labor force, with the remaining 60 percent neither working nor seeking work . Even among those pursuing higher education, opportunities are limited — unemployment among recent university graduates has surged to about 24.9 percent , pointing to a troubling mismatch between education and the job market.
“I graduated in 2024, but I can’t find a job, and my family struggles financially,” Reuters quoted Duygu, 25, a recent university graduate who joined a protest rally in İstanbul, as saying. Official data put youth joblessness in the mid-teens, but many young Turks say that doesn’t capture the reality of underemployment and those who have stopped looking for work. In total, more than 4.7 million people aged 15–29 — over one in four — are not in employment, education or training (NEET), according to a labor union study, underscoring the scope of the crisis.
Beyond the workplace, young Turks voice deep dissatisfaction with their prospects in society. A nationwide survey in 2024 found 71 percent of youths unhappy with the education system, and two-thirds believe there is no freedom of expression in Turkey.
Many feel stifled under what they perceive as an increasingly authoritarian climate. “Difficulty making ends meet has become part of their daily lives” for over a third of Turkish youths, one research report noted, and 61 percent have considered emigrating to “live in a better society.” Their grievances range from soaring living costs to a lack of meritocracy and justice.
Mass protests spearheaded by young people have swept Turkish cities over the past month, underscoring this growing discontent. The unrest was sparked by the detention of İstanbul’s popular opposition mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, on corruption charges in March, a move widely seen by critics as politically motivated .
Hundreds of thousands of mostly young demonstrators have flooded the streets nationwide, demanding change in a country they see as increasingly authoritarian. Clashes with police have led to over 2,000 detentions as protesters defiantly chant for freedom and accountability.
Opposition leaders have seized on the moment. Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel has urged that early elections be held “no later than November,” amid what he called Turkey’s most widespread unrest in a decade.
On the front lines of these rallies, young Turks voice a yearning for real democracy.
“Growing up under just one regime makes us a generation looking for change, looking for proof we live in a democracy,” Yezan Ateşyan, 20, a university student attending a protest at Middle East Technical University in Ankara, told Reuters.
“The idea of a power that lasts forever scares us,” he was quoted as adding, in reference to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s two decades in power.
For many, the mobilization is as much about venting years of pent-up frustration as it is about any single event. “This feels like our last chance,” Ateşyan was quoted as saying of the youth-driven push for change. “If we don’t succeed, many of us will have to leave Turkey.”
Such sentiments reflect a bleak choice confronting Turkey’s under-30 generation: try to reform their country’s trajectory, or join the growing wave of emigration.
President Erdoğan, for his part, struck an upbeat tone in his holiday message to the nation’s youth. He hailed young people as “the driving force of change” and vowed to “solve whatever problems” might squander their potential, promising to bequeath a “peaceful, prosperous” Turkey to the next generation. His government points to expanded universities and large infrastructure projects as investments in youth. But critics say those gains have been undermined by mismanaged economic policies and a political system that concentrates power.
Opposition figures argue that Turkey must restore the rule of law and merit-based opportunity to persuade its young talent to stay.
Jailed İstanbul Mayor İmamoğlu’s official X handle was recently blocked in Turkey, so he shared a video message from his Instagram page to commemorate May 19.
The video featured İmamoğlu quoting from founding father Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s address to Turkish youth, calling on them to preserve the country’s independence and defend the republic. He concluded by wishing the nation a happy Youth and Sports Day.
At a youth rally in Ankara, CHP leader Özgür Özel also addressed the nation’s youth and appealed to supporters of the ruling party.
Speaking during a march to Atatürk’s mausoleum, he called on young people from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) to reclaim democratic values.
“Take the ball back from your grandfathers, fathers and your leader,” Özel said, accusing the government of undermining elections by refusing to accept defeat.
“Don’t be among those who only play when they win and cut the ball when they lose.” He also highlighted that Atatürk entrusted the republic not to the military or politicians, but to youth, a responsibility he said today’s generation was honoring by defending democracy in the streets of Ankara.