Turkish top religious body demands 130 bln liras for 2025 budget

The Turkish government has submitted its 2025 budget proposal to parliament, seeking to increase the funds allocated to the Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) to 130.1 billion liras ($3.8 billion). This figure surpasses the budgets proposed for six ministries, including Interior and Foreign Affairs.

Duvar English

The 2025 budget proposal submitted to the Turkish parliament foresees a 130.1 billion liras ($3.8 billion) allocated for Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet), the daily Cumhuriyet reported on Oct. 19.

According to the proposal, Diyanet will have more budget than six ministries, including Interior, Foreign Affairs, Trade, Culture and Tourism, Industry and Technology, and Energy.

The proposal foresees Diyanet’s budget as 153.5 billion liras in 2026 and 175.4 billion liras in 2027. 

The allocation was made despite more urgent needs in other fields in the country, such as education and health. At the opening of the new education year this fall, several public schools could not hire cleaning staff, creating an unhygienic environment for the students.

According to a recent survey by the Institute of Social Studies, Diyanet is the second most distrusted institution in Turkey.

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Topics budget budget proposal Diyanet Diyanet spending Turkey