Nearly one-third of the people who died in Istanbul last year were buried outside the city as municipal funeral and burial services handled an average of 229 funerals per day, according to the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s (IBB) 2025 Activity Report.
The report showed that 83,473 people died in Istanbul in 2025, with 57,139 buried within the city while 24,846 people, or 29.77% of the deceased, were transported to their hometowns through intercity funeral transfer services.
Another 1,488 people were sent abroad for burial through international transfers carried out to airports or border crossings.
The municipality said funeral services across the city are supported by 57 religious officials and mortuary attendants working at municipal worship facilities and funeral washing centers, the staff includes imams, priests, pastors, rabbis and Alevi faith leaders.
Cemetery security operations are carried out by 643 personnel, including regional supervisors, motorcycle patrol officers and private security guards.
According to the report, Istanbul has 513 Muslim cemeteries covering 1,314 hectares and 67 minority cemeteries spanning 94 hectares.
On the European side of Istanbul, there are 263 Muslim cemeteries and 45 minority cemeteries, while the Asian side contains 250 Muslim cemeteries and 22 minority cemeteries.
The municipality also stated that several funeral-related services remain free of charge, including funeral washing, wooden coffins, coffin covers, burial procedures and transportation outside Istanbul.
However, burial plot prices continue to vary significantly depending on location.
Under the 2026 Cemetery Fees and Service Charges tariff, empty burial plots in fourth-group cemeteries located in former village areas such as Ayazağa, Bahçeköy, Kemerburgaz and Kısırkaya are priced at TL 10,728 ($237).
Meanwhile, plots in first-group cemeteries including Karacaahmet, Nakkaştepe, Zincirlikuyu and Ulus cost up to TL 334,896, making them the most expensive burial sites in the city.
