The number of Earthquake-resistant structures on the rise in Turkey

According to Insurance Gazette, 9.1 million of the 17.7 million buildings erected in Turkey meet seismic standards, or 51.4%. The devastating Marmara earthquake in 1999 saw an uncontrolled growth in the number of earthquake-resistant houses, which were only 500 000 before the disaster.

The Turkish authorities, on their part, imposed earthquake insurance in 2000. However, two decades after this initiative, a large proportion of residences remain uninsured.

According to the Turkish Catastrophe Insurance, 50.7% of homes built after 2007 are insured, this rate has seen a marked increase in recent decades. For example, buildings constructed during the period 2000-2006 had a coverage rate of 17.9%. As for buildings built before 1975, only 4.5% of them are insured.

As a reminder, 96% of the Turkish territory is exposed to earthquakes of different intensities. Almost all of the country's inhabitants (98%) lives in this high-risk area.

Read also | Natural catastrophe insurance increasingly popular