Statistics of Menstrual Pad Usage in Turkey
Table of Contents
Around 27 million women in Turkey rely on menstrual pads every month—that’s roughly the entire population of Venezuela. With Turkey’s population now reaching 87.9 million people, understanding these consumption patterns matters for healthcare planning, supply chain logistics, and environmental policy.
Population Overview
According to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), Turkey’s female population stands at approximately 44 million as of January 2026. For this analysis, we focus on women of menstrual age—typically between 10 and 54 years old based on standard demographic groupings.
Population Data (2026 Estimates): (Source: TÜİK)
While TÜİK has not yet released detailed age-group breakdowns for 2026, demographic projections based on Turkey’s current population structure indicate that women aged 10-54 represent approximately 61-63% of the total female population. This translates to roughly 26.8-27.7 million women of menstrual age.
Key demographic shifts since 2023 include:
- Total female population increased from 42.6 million to 44 million
- Women now comprise 50.1% of Turkey’s population
- The menstrual-age cohort has declined slightly as a percentage due to an aging population
Menstrual Pad Usage
Everyone’s different, but medical research consistently shows most women use between 4-5 pads per day during their period. The average menstrual cycle lasts about 6 days, though this varies based on age, health status, and individual physiology.
Key Assumptions:
- Average Pads per Day: 4-5
- Average Period Length: 6 days
These figures align with international health standards and haven’t changed significantly in recent years. They give us a reliable baseline for calculating total consumption across Turkey’s female population.
Calculation Methodology
Here’s how we break down the numbers:
- Total number of women within menstrual age.
- Average monthly pad usage per individual.
- Total monthly and yearly pad usage for the demographic.
Step-by-Step Calculations:
- Total Women in Menstrual Age: Based on 2026 population projections, approximately 27 million women fall within the 10-54 age range.
- Monthly Pad Usage (Per Individual): 4.5 pads per day × 6 days = 27 pads per month.
- Total Monthly Pad Usage: 27 million women × 27 pads = approximately 729 million pads per month.
- Total Yearly Pad Usage: 729 million pads × 12 months = approximately 8.75 billion pads per year.
Insights and Conclusions
These numbers matter for more than just market research. With nearly 9 billion pads consumed annually, Turkey faces significant challenges in waste management and environmental sustainability. Most conventional pads contain plastic and take hundreds of years to decompose.
Public health officials can use these figures to ensure adequate supply in underserved regions, while retailers can better forecast inventory needs. Environmental advocates increasingly push for alternatives like reusable cloth pads or menstrual cups, which could dramatically reduce this waste stream.
Turkish Terminology
- Kadınlar: Women
- Adet Dönemi: Menstrual period
- Ped Kullanımı: Pad usage
- Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK): Turkish Statistical Institute
Understanding these consumption patterns helps policymakers design better healthcare initiatives, supports retailers in meeting demand, and informs environmental strategies for managing feminine hygiene product waste.
Detailed Findings
Based on January 2026 demographic projections and standard usage assumptions, here’s what the data tells us:
- Total Women in Menstrual Age: Approximately 27 million women aged 10-54 in Turkey.
- Monthly Pad Usage (Per Individual): With an average of 4.5 pads used per day over 6 days, a single woman uses about 27 pads per month.
- Total Monthly Pad Usage: For the entire demographic, approximately 729 million pads are used per month.
- Total Yearly Pad Usage: This amounts to approximately 8.7-9.0 billion pads used per year across Turkey’s menstruating population.
These figures represent a slight decrease from previous years—not because usage per woman has dropped, but because Turkey’s demographic pyramid is shifting. The proportion of women in the 10-54 age range has declined slightly as the overall population ages. Still, absolute consumption remains massive, making menstrual hygiene products a significant consumer category and environmental concern.
