Turkey’s BES Pensioner Numbers Exceed 500,000

Turkey’s BES Pensioner Numbers Exceed 500,000

Turkey’s private pension system BES continues to grow. As of August 21, 2026, the number of participants who have already retired through the system reached 501,081 people. The total number of participants in BES and the automatic enrollment pension system OKS exceeded 18.2 million people.

The total amount of funds accumulated in the two systems reached 2 trillion 637 billion 958.4 million Turkish lira. The figures are based on data from Turkey’s Pension Monitoring Center (EGM).

What Is the BES Private Pension System?

Turkey’s private pension system BES was launched on October 27, 2003. Its main purpose is to help citizens maintain their standard of living after retirement while encouraging long-term savings within the country.

Over the years, BES has become one of Turkey’s significant long-term savings systems. The system is now approaching its 23rd anniversary.

More Than 18.2 Million Participants

According to data for August 21, 2026, the number of participants in Turkey’s private pension system BES reached 10,332,553 people.

The amount of funds held in participant accounts and government contributions reached 2 trillion 473 billion 961.4 million Turkish lira.

At the same time, the number of people who have already exercised their pension rights through BES exceeded 500,000 for the first time, reaching 501,081 people.

The BES pensioner figure includes participants who have exercised their pension rights under at least one of their contracts, have a pension plan under at least one contract, or have transferred their funds to a retirement income plan.

The OKS Automatic Enrollment Pension System

The OKS system for automatically enrolling employees in private pension provision is also continuing to develop.

As of August 21, 2026, the number of OKS participants reached 7,889,592 people, while the total amount of funds, including employee and government contributions, stood at 163 billion 997 million Turkish lira.

As a result, the combined amount of funds in BES and OKS reached 2 trillion 637 billion 958.4 million Turkish lira, while the total number of participants in both systems reached 18,222,145 people.

Of the total amount of funds, 2 trillion 341 billion 756.6 million Turkish lira comes from participant savings, while another 296 billion 201.8 million Turkish lira consists of government contributions.

Number of Participants Increased by Almost 287,000 in 2026

At the end of 2025, the total amount of funds in the BES and OKS systems stood at 2 trillion 163 billion 164.7 million Turkish lira, while the number of participants reached 17,935,495 people.

Between the end of 2025 and August 21, 2026, the total amount of funds, including government contributions, increased by 474 billion 793.7 million Turkish lira, or 21.9%.

During the same period, the number of BES and OKS participants increased by 286,650 people, representing growth of 1.6%.

More Than 1.7 Million Children Participate in the Pension System

Another area of BES is the participation of children under 18 in the voluntary private pension system. The program was launched in Turkey in June 2021 and allows parents to build long-term savings for their children.

As of August 21, 2026, the amount of funds accumulated by participants under the age of 18 reached 114 billion 622.9 million Turkish lira.

Of this amount, 92 billion 982.8 million Turkish lira consists of funds accumulated by the participants themselves, while government contributions reached 21 billion 640.1 million Turkish lira.

When the program was launched, it had 1,744,360 participating children. The largest number of participants among the age groups is children under one year old, with 173,205 participants.

From December 31, 2025, to August 21, 2026, the number of participants under 18 increased by another 103,378 people, while the total fund, including government contributions, grew by 29 billion 639.5 million Turkish lira.

Why BES Is Becoming More Important for People in Turkey

The growth in the number of participants and the volume of accumulated funds shows that the private pension system is gradually becoming a more prominent part of financial planning for people in Turkey.

Government contributions supplement personal savings, while long-term participation allows people to build capital that can be used after retirement. At the same time, accumulated funds become a source of long-term financing for the country’s economy.

As of August 21, 2026, the BES and OKS systems had more than 18.2 million participants, while the total amount of funds exceeded 2.6 trillion Turkish lira.