The World and Türkiye in 2025

Aydın Tiryaki (December 31, 2025)
(Gemini AI was used as a data compilation and writing assistant)

Abstract: The year 2025 has gone down in history as a “year of testing,” where humanity was caught between technological speed and economic and social constraints. This final article synthesizes the key findings of the previous 17 articles, summarizes the structural fractures experienced on both global and local scales, and offers a grounded, cautious future projection for 2026.

Introduction: The Accounting of an Era

Looking back as we close 2025, we see not just a calendar year, but a process of deep-rooted change. We have experienced a “transition pain” where old norms lost their validity in every field—from politics to economy, from education to artificial intelligence—yet the new order has not yet been fully established. 2025 symbolizes the balance that humankind has tried to strike between the speed of its own created technology and the limited opportunities provided by nature and the economy.

1. The New Balance of Global and Local Politics

In 2025, the world witnessed multipolarity move from being a theory to a reality. While Türkiye attempted to maintain its “balancing” role amidst geopolitical risks, its relationships within the European Union and Middle East axes focused more on pragmatic and technical collaborations. However, the rise of authoritarian tendencies globally and the pressure of disinformation on democratic processes remain among the major risk headings for 2026.

2. Economic Depression and the Shaking Social Fabric

The economy was the most painful heading of 2025. Although the global inflation spiral slowed down, in the specific case of Türkiye, the cost of living and the erosion of purchasing power further widened the gap between social strata.

• Housing and Dispossession: The rental crisis in megacities transformed from a housing problem into a process of class exclusion.
• Agricultural Collapse: The departure of farmers from the land—struggling with rising costs and the climate crisis—carried food security to the level of a national threat. 2025 served as a painful reminder that the economy does not consist merely of numbers, but is the fundamental pillar of social peace.

3. The Technology Paradox: The Two Faces of AI

Artificial intelligence was the undisputed winner of 2025. However, this victory brought great uncertainty with it.

• Loss of Quality and Unemployment: While the entry of generative AI into the labor market increased productivity, the disappearance of entry-level jobs and the loss of depth in education made “technological unemployment” concerns permanent.
• Data Privacy: Legal and technical gaps in the protection of personal data opened the doors of the surveillance society wide.

4. Education and Health: The Chasm Between Quality and Quantity

In 2025, it was once again proven in Türkiye that the increase in the number of universities and hospitals was not directly proportional to the quality of service. Stagnation in PISA data, the loss of prestige of university degrees, and access barriers in the health system are among the heaviest structural burdens handed over to 2026. It was observed that every step where true academic norms are not protected weakens social capital in the long run.

5. Outlook for 2026: A Cautious Wait

Filling our expectations for 2026 with “hopeful promises” would contradict current realities. 2026 is poised to be a “year of resilience” where the crises inherited from 2025 will be managed, rather than a “year of prosperity”:

• Economy: It will take time for paper-based decreases in inflation to reflect on the public’s dinner tables; during this process, maintaining social peace will be the greatest success.
• Society: A period awaits us where “human solidarity” is the only way out against digital loneliness and economic pressures.
• Nature: The effects of the climate crisis are no longer a projection but a part of daily life; adapting to this situation is not a choice, but a necessity.

Conclusion

The great accounting of 2025 shows that the speed of technology has surpassed the rhythm of the human soul and nature. The vision for Türkiye in 2026 should be built on protecting the quality of existing institutions, keeping the producer on the land, and building a social foundation where the individual can breathe with confidence, rather than chasing grand promises. 2026 will be a year where we discuss not just surviving, but surviving while “remaining human.”

SUPPLEMENT: CONCLUSION: THE GREAT ACCOUNTING FROM 2025 TO 2026 – A CURRENT PERSPECTIVE

The year 2025 has been recorded as a year of “great accounting,” during which the global system underwent not only an economic test but also a structural and moral one. Across the world, the “protectionist fragmentation” that has replaced globalization and the labor market upheavals caused by the technological revolution have fundamentally shaken established orders. Even in developed economies, the failure of the productivity gains brought by artificial intelligence to spread to society at large has ignited debates on “technological feudalism,” while the burden of climate crisis costs being shifted onto low-income classes has created a global wave of unrest. By the end of 2025, the world has become more digitally interconnected yet more politically and socially fragmented than ever before.

For Türkiye, this accounting process has been experienced under the shadow of a deep contradiction between official figures and the ordinary course of life. The numerical data from economic management, emphasizing “stability” and “recovery,” clashes with the reality of inflation and loss of purchasing power in the “street’s kitchen.” The heaviest burden in the balance sheet of 2025 stands out as a “statistical crisis of confidence.” The fact that inflation, unemployment, and growth figures announced through official channels do not resonate with the vast majority of the public has created a state of “uncertainty and anesthesia” in society. Regardless of what the numbers say, people focus on the contraction in their own lives; this creates a foggy atmosphere where it is impossible to understand whether real progress is being made and where the future cannot be predicted.

This crisis of trust, handed over to 2026, has become Türkiye’s greatest structural obstacle. The loss of legitimacy of numerical data in public perception makes it impossible for the policies implemented to be embraced by the people. This situation pushes individuals not only economically but also psychologically into a “defensive position,” where long-term plans are replaced by an effort to save the day. For Türkiye, the 2026 threshold is a vital turning point where not only the numbers must be corrected, but the honor of data and the public’s trust in the state must be rebuilt. Otherwise, any success seen on paper is destined to remain unacknowledged in the conscience of society.

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A Note on Methods and Tools: All observations, ideas, and solution proposals in this study are the author’s own. AI was utilized as an information source for researching and compiling relevant topics strictly based on the author’s inquiries, requests, and directions; additionally, it provided writing assistance during the drafting process. (The research-based compilation and English writing process of this text were supported by AI as a specialized assistant.)