The 2025 “Turkey Violence Map” report prepared by the Justice and Criminal Psychology Laboratory (ASLAB) at Istanbul Kültür University revealed that incidents of violence in the country have increased to record levels. According to the report, compared to 2024, violent incidents increased by 75 percent, reaching 2,289 cases.
According to the data, the most common type of crime was assault, accounting for 61.5 percent of cases. The geographical distribution of violence has also changed significantly. Incidents that were previously concentrated in the Marmara Region have shifted toward the Mediterranean and some areas of Kurdistan.
Among the cities where the increase in violence was most pronounced, Riha and Adana stood out. According to the report, cases in Riha increased approximately 13 times and in Adana fivefold, turning these cities into new “hot spots.”
More than 95 percent of perpetrators are men
The report emphasized that the vast majority of perpetrators are men. Accordingly, 95.5 percent of violent acts were carried out by men. In addition, the proportion of foreign perpetrators rising from 13.2 percent to 38.8 percent within a year was assessed as an indicator that violence has increasingly moved into public spaces and that social trust relations have weakened.
Record increase in the use of firearms
It was also noted that the use of firearms in murders reached 62 percent, drawing attention to the fact that individual armament increases the lethality of violence. In terms of temporal distribution, September emerged as the most risky period, accounting for 10.4 percent of incidents.
The report also included recommendations. Accordingly, areas with high risk should be designated as special security and social service zones, individual armament should be restricted, inspections of sharp and piercing weapons should be increased, and preventive intervention centers should be established, particularly targeting male perpetrators.