The average duration of education was 9.3 years in 2023 in Türkiye, with the rate of higher education graduates in the population aged 25 and over rising to 24.6%, according to statistics released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat).

According to the data, the proportion of associate, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree holders aged 25 and over in the total population aged 25 and over increased from 9.8% in 2008 to 24.6% last year. The rate of those who graduated from primary school and above within this age group was calculated as 48.3% in 2023, compared to 26.5% in 2008.

While the average duration of education for the population aged 25 and over was 7.3 years in 2011, it increased to 9.3 years in 2023. This duration was calculated as 9.2 years in 2022. The average duration of education for 2023 was recorded as 8.6 years for females and 10.1 years for males.

Ankara boasts highest average

Ankara had the highest average education duration in 2023 with 10.7 years for the population aged 25 and over. It was followed by Istanbul, Eskişehir, Kocaeli and Izmir, respectively. The province with the lowest average education duration was determined as Ağrı with 7.4 years. Şanlıurfa, Muş, Kastamonu and Van followed this province.

The top five provinces with the highest increase in the average education duration for the population aged 25 and over from 2014 to 2023 were Şırnak at 54.1%, Hakkari at 46.2%, Muş at 40.8%, Siirt and Bingöl at 40.5%. The top five provinces with the lowest increase were Ankara at 14.6%, Eskişehir at 16.2%, Tekirdağ at 16.3%, Izmir at 17% and Yalova at 17.1%.

While the rate of literacy among the population aged 6 and over was 91.8% in 2008, it was calculated as 97.6% in 2023. The rate of literate women increased from 86.9% to 96% from 2008 to 2023, while the rate for males increased from 96.7% to 99.2%.

Among the population aged 25 and over, it was determined that 84.6% of individuals whose mothers are university graduates attended university, 12.5% completed secondary education and 2.9% completed education below the secondary level.

In this population, it was observed that 80.2% of individuals whose fathers are university graduates attended university, 16% completed secondary education, and 3.8% completed education below secondary level.

It was noted that 64.3% of individuals whose mothers completed secondary education attended university, while 55.4% of individuals whose fathers completed secondary education attended university. It was determined that 27.9% of individuals whose mothers completed education below the secondary level attended university, while 26.6% of individuals whose fathers completed education below the secondary level attended university.