Sleep remains the single largest activity in the daily lives of people in Türkiye, according to the latest Time Use Survey released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) on Friday.

The survey found that individuals aged 10 and over slept an average of 8 hours and 55 minutes per day, making sleep the single largest component of daily life. Women slept slightly longer than men, averaging 9 hours per day compared with 8 hours and 49 minutes for men. Sleep duration also varied by the day of the week, averaging 8 hours and 41 minutes on weekdays and increasing to 9 hours and 28 minutes on weekends.

After sleep, the most time-consuming daily activities were meals and personal care, which accounted for 3 hours and 15 minutes per day. Employment-related activities—including time spent working and job searching—followed with an average of 2 hours and 25 minutes, while household and family care occupied 2 hours and 22 minutes.

Men devoted more time to paid work

Among people aged 15 and over, the average time spent on employment-related activities reached 2 hours and 39 minutes per day. For those who were employed, the figure rose to 5 hours and 41 minutes daily.

The data revealed a clear gender gap in working hours. Employed men spent an average of 6 hours per day on work-related activities, while employed women devoted 4 hours and 58 minutes.

Household responsibilities remained largely with women

The survey also highlighted significant differences in the division of unpaid domestic work.

Women aged 15 and over spent an average of 4 hours and 3 minutes each day on household and family care, compared with just 58 minutes for men.

Among employed individuals, women dedicated 2 hours and 38 minutes daily to domestic responsibilities, while employed men spent only 47 minutes. The gap widened further among those not in employment, with unemployed women spending 4 hours and 33 minutes on household duties compared with 1 hour and 17 minutes for unemployed men.

Sports received the least daily attention

Sports and outdoor activities occupied the smallest share of people's daily schedules, averaging only 12 minutes per day.

Men spent an average of 16 minutes exercising, while women devoted just 9 minutes. Other activities receiving limited daily attention included hobbies and games, at 26 minutes, and volunteer work and meetings, at 37 minutes.

Age differences were also evident. Children aged 10 to 14 spent the most time sleeping, studying, participating in hobbies and games, and engaging in sports and outdoor activities. They averaged 1 hour and 9 minutes on hobbies and games and 27 minutes on sports each day.

People aged 15 to 24 devoted the greatest amount of time to social life and entertainment, while those aged 55 and over spent more time than other age groups watching television, listening to the radio or music, and participating in volunteer work and meetings.

Football participation declined as volleyball gained popularity

The survey also examined sporting activities undertaken during the previous four weeks.

Walking and jogging remained the most popular forms of exercise, practiced by 11.7% of respondents, followed by football at 4.1% and equipment-based fitness activities at 2.5%.

Compared with 2015, football participation declined from 5.2% to 4.1%, while volleyball recorded one of the strongest gains, rising from 0.9% to 1.4%.

Social media use more than doubled in a decade

Entertainment and cultural activities reflected the growing influence of digital platforms.

Watching television remained the most common leisure activity, with 88.8% of respondents saying they had watched TV during the previous four weeks. Spending time on social media ranked second at 71.7%, followed by visiting relatives at 67.5%.

Social media use was more widespread among men, with 77% reporting regular use compared with 66.6% of women.

TurkStat's comparison with 2015 showed that social media experienced the largest increase of any leisure activity over the past decade. The proportion of people spending time on social media more than doubled, rising from 33.9% in 2015 to 71.7% in 2025.

In contrast, reading newspapers, magazines, and similar publications recorded the sharpest decline. The share of people engaging in reading such publications fell from 39.4% in 2015 to just 20.1% in 2025, highlighting the continuing shift toward digital media consumption. (ILKHA)