Data from the 1998 Turkish Demographic and Health Survey related to neonatal mortality, smaller and before term deliveries were analyzed to examine the incidence of these conditions and also their association with some socio-demographic factors. Smaller newborn (as calculated from mothers’ perceptions about the size of their newborns) was found to be 26.1% and overall delivery before term (as indicated by the mothers) incidence was calculated as 5.1% for 3418 births within the last 5 years preceding the survey. Neonatal mortality rate was estimated as 2.6% and was found to be significantly associated with “smaller”, “before term” births, multiple pregnancies, birth intervals and mother’s education. Living in the Eastern region of Turkey, rural residence, low maternal education and not receiving any antenatal care were some of the factors significantly associated with “smaller”. The associations of delivery before term were puzzling, with significantly higher rates of delivery before term in Western regions, for mothers with higher education and mothers receiving adequate antenatal care.