Politics · Living
Born: 26 February 1954 · Age: 72
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is 72 years old as of October 2026. He was born on 26 February 1954.
Turkish politician who has led the country since 2003, first as prime minister and then as president
Did you know?As a young man, he played semi-professional football and was reportedly scouted by a top Istanbul club.
Erdoğan has dominated Turkish politics for more than two decades, first as prime minister and then as president. A former mayor of Istanbul, he founded the Justice and Development Party, which first won power in 2002. His early years saw rapid economic growth, major infrastructure projects and expanded public services, winning him loyal support among religious and working-class voters. Following a failed coup attempt in 2016, his government carried out sweeping purges and a referendum greatly expanded presidential powers. Supporters see him as a strong national leader, while critics accuse him of eroding democratic freedoms and press independence.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who has been the president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which he co-founded in 2001.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Profile
Turkish president, born 1954
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was born in Istanbul on 26 February 1954.
He was Mayor of Istanbul from 1994.
He co-founded the AKP in 2001.
He became President in 2014.
Career highlights
Did you know?He played semi-professional football as a young man.
Questions people ask
A wave of demonstrations and civil unrest in Turkey began on 28 May 2013, initially to contest the urban development plan for Istanbul's Gezi Park. The protests were sparked by outrage at the violent eviction of a sit-in at the park protesting the plan.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
On 15 July 2016 evening, an attempted military coup occurred in Turkey, orchestrated by a faction within the Turkish Armed Forces of 8,500 soldiers and military cadets, identifying themselves as the "Peace at Home Council".
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Last reviewed: October 2026