Turkey: Erdogan to Turkish women, have at least 4 or 5 kids

Ankara, January 21 - Turkey's Islamic populist Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on Turkish women to have 'at least four or five children' in the name of the country's 'grandeur' and faster economic growth, the Hurriyet newspaper reports. Erdogan had so far asked Turkish women to have at least three kids. 

He and wife Emine have four children, Ahmety Burak, Necmettin Bilal, Summeyye and Esra. Sixty percent of Turkey's population is under 30, something the prime minister has proudly stressed. But a higher lifestyle following the country's decade-long economic boom could bring Turkish couples to have fewer children, a trend seen across western countries.

Speaking at a wedding ion Gaziantep, Hurriyet reports, the premier called for 'four or five kids' per family. 'If we look at birth rate trends, forecasts on the years between 2037 and 2040 are alarming', he said. Having a large family, he explained, 'is of great importance for the future of our nation'.

Turkey currently has a population of 75 million which will grow to 100 million in 2025. The country aims to becoming one of the world's top ten economic powers. It currently is 17th.