According to the national education report for 2022 shared by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) on Friday, the province with the highest average period of education for the population aged 25 and over last year was Ankara with 10.6 years.

The education report, which sheds light on the average education period, literacy rates and comparisons between male and female social groups in terms of education, highlighted the increasing ratio in the number of graduates aged 25 and over across the educational arena.

The percentage of graduates among associate, undergraduate, postgraduate and doctorate levels rose to 23.9% last year, compared to 9.8% in 2008.

Similarly, reports also suggested the number of graduates from primary and high schools witnessed an increase in the same period, as the figure rose to 92.5% in 2022, compared to 81.1% in 2008.

Looking to boost educational participation and schooling rates, Türkiye and its Ministry of Education (MEB) recently implemented a number of strategies and enhanced coordination on the international level. One such initiative dubbed the "Technical Support Project to Increase Continuity of Secondary School and Schooling Rate," in coordination with the European Union was introduced last year and is planned to conclude in 2024.

Meanwhile, the country has also turned into a hub for international students, with the number of students arriving in Türkiye as part of a government-supported scholarship scheme increasing significantly over the last decade.

Average education period

When considering the population aged 25 and over, the average education period duration rose by 26% in the period between 2011 and 2022, from 7.3 to 9.2 years.

The provinces with the most significant increases during this period were Şırnak and Hakkari in the southeast, with 65.1% and 53.9%, respectively. Other provinces that experienced notable increases included Bingöl with 51.9%, Muş with 48.1% and Van with 46.5%.

While the highest period of education, as mentioned above, was observed in Ankara, other provinces following the capital included the country's economic hub Istanbul, Eskişehir, Kocaeli and Izmir. The province with the lowest average education period in 2022 was Ağrı in the eastern part of the country with an average of 7.2 years.

While the average period of education among women remains lower, there has been a steady increase in the "gender ratio," which represents the ratio of women's average education time to men's. In 2022, the ratio reached 0.84, compared to 0.78 in 2011.

At the same time, the TurkStat report highlighted the literacy rate in the country in general had reached 95.9% among women and 99.3% among men, which 15 years ago stood at 86.9% and 96.7%, pointing to the positive results of nationwide projects enforced by the government to reach out to citizens who did not have the scope to develop literacy skills.

The literacy courses established at lifelong learning centers across the country with MEB coordination stand out as one of the significant initiatives in this aspect.

Comprehensive statistics

The National Education Statistics Database (UEIVT) was created in 2008 by combining the education-related information obtained from individuals and information obtained from administrative records during the Address-based Population Registration System (ADNKS) studies.

Using UEIVT, the educational status of citizens aged 6 and over was calculated according to their place of residence, gender and age.

The indicator "average education period," which is an important indicator for international studies, was included for the first time as part of official statistics for 2011-2022.

The average duration of education represents the average period of education undergone by the population aged 25 and above. The mentioned indicator is used in studies such as the Human Development Index, the Gender Development Index and the Multidimensional Poverty Index calculated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Despite the steady rise in literacy rates over the past 50 years, there are still 773 million illiterate adults around the world, most of whom are women, according to data from UNESCO's Institute for Statistics (UIS).