Recep Tayyip Erdogan, originally from Rize, was born on February 26, 1954 in Istanbul. He graduated from Kasımpaşa Piyale Primary School in 1965 and from Istanbul Imam Hatip High School in 1973. He also got a diploma from Eyüp High School by passing the difference courses exam. He studied at Marmara University Faculty of Economics and Commercial Sciences and graduated from this school in 1981. He was interested in football as an amateur between 1969-1982. At the same time, he stepped into active politics as a young idealist, dealing with homeland issues and social problems.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who took an active role in the student branches of the National Turkish Student Union during his high school and university years, was elected as the Head of the MSP Beyoğlu Youth Branch in 1976 and the President of the MSP Istanbul Youth Branch in the same year. Erdogan, who held these duties until 1980, worked as a consultant and senior manager in the private sector for a while during the September 12 period when political parties were closed.

He returned to actual politics with the Welfare Party, which was founded in 1983, and became the Chairman of the Welfare Party Beyoğlu District in 1984, and the Istanbul Provincial Chairman of the Welfare Party in 1985, and a member of the Refah Party MKYK. Erdogan, who developed a new organizational structure that became a model for other political parties during his duty as the Istanbul Provincial Chairman, made efforts to increase the participation of women and youth in politics during this period. While this organization brought great success to the Welfare Party, to which it was a member, in the 1989 Beyoğlu local elections, it also set an example for party work across the country.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was elected as the Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality in the local elections of March 27, 1994, produced correct diagnosis and solutions to the chronic problems of Istanbul. He was sentenced to prison for reading a poem in a book recommended by the Ministry of National Education to teachers and published by a state institution during his speech to the public in Siirt on December 12, 1997, and his duty as the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor was terminated.

On August 14, 2001, he founded the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) with his friends and was elected the Founding Chairman of the AK Party by the Founders' Board. The favor and trust of the people made the AK Party the political movement with the widest popular support in Turkey in the first year of its establishment and brought it to power alone with a parliamentary majority of nearly two-thirds (363 deputies) in the 2002 general elections.

Erdogan, who could not become a parliamentary candidate in the November 3, 2002 elections due to the court decision, participated in the Siirt province parliamentary renewal election on March 9, 2003, with the legal regulation. Erdogan, who received 85 percent of the votes in this election, entered the parliament as the 22nd Term Siirt Member of Parliament.

He assumed the duty of Prime Minister on March 15, 2003, and implemented many vital reform packages in a short time, with the ideal of a bright and constantly developing Turkey. All positive developments have been called the "Silent Revolution" by some foreign observers and Western leaders.

In addition to his successful initiatives, which have been described as a turning point in the country's history in the process of joining the European Union, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan took important steps in the permanent solution of the Cyprus problem and the development of productive relations with various countries of the world. He made Turkey a center country. As the Chairman of the AK Party, which won a great victory with 46.6% of the votes in the general elections of 22 July 2007, he established the 60th Government of the Republic of Turkey and received a vote of confidence again. He came out with a greater victory in the June 12, 2011 elections and formed the 61st Government with 49.8% of the votes.

On Sunday, August 10, 2014, for the first time in Turkish political history, the 12th President was elected by direct votes of the people and in the first round. After the Constitutional amendment accepted in the popular vote on April 16, 2017 paved the way for the President to be a party member, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was re-elected as the Chairman of the AK Party, of which he was the founder, at the 3rd Extraordinary Grand Congress held on May 21, 2017.

In the Presidential elections held on Sunday, June 24, 2018, he was re-elected President with 52.59% of the votes. He took the oath on July 9, 2018, as the first President of the Presidential Government System, which was implemented with the constitutional amendment adopted on April 16, 2017.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan is married and has 4 children.