Cross country literacy rates in Turkey
Turkey: Cross country literacy rates was 97.26 in 2021. ▲ Rising
Cross country literacy rates in Turkey, 1927–2021
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for cross country literacy rates in Turkey is 97.26, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and up 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cross country literacy rates in Turkey peaked at 97.26 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 8.2, in 1927.
Turkey ranks 37th of 128 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Cross country literacy rates in Turkey, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1927 | 8.2 | — |
| 1935 | 20.4 | +148.8% |
| 1945 | 30.5 | +49.5% |
| 1950 | 32.5 | +6.6% |
| 1975 | 61.63 | +89.6% |
| 1980 | 65.69 | +6.6% |
| 1985 | 75.97 | +15.6% |
| 1990 | 79.23 | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 87.37 | +10.3% |
| 2005 | 88.23 | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 88.12 | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 88.66 | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 90.82 | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 92.66 | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 94.11 | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 94.92 | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 95.26 | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 95.44 | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 95.6 | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 95.86 | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 96.15 | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 96.74 | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 97.26 | +0.5% |
Turkey compared with similar countries
- Turkey's 97.26 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.44, 1.0× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Turkey's 97.26 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 98.5, 99% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cross country literacy rates in Turkey changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | +148.8% | 8.2 | 20.4 |
| 1975 | +89.6% | 32.5 | 61.63 |
| 1945 | +49.5% | 20.4 | 30.5 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 8.2 | 8.2 | 8.2 | 1 |
| 1930s | 20.4 | 20.4 | 20.4 | 1 |
| 1940s | 30.5 | 30.5 | 30.5 | 1 |
| 1950s | 32.5 | 32.5 | 32.5 | 1 |
| 1970s | 61.63 | 61.63 | 61.63 | 1 |
| 1980s | 70.83 | 65.69 | 75.97 | 2 |
| 1990s | 79.23 | 79.23 | 79.23 | 1 |
| 2000s | 88.64 | 87.37 | 90.82 | 5 |
| 2010s | 95.19 | 92.66 | 96.74 | 9 |
| 2020s | 97.26 | 97.26 | 97.26 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Turkey
More education data for Turkey
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.5 (2017)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.4 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 788,294 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 184,302 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.05 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 980,973 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 12.31 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.54 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.87 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cross country literacy rates in Turkey?
- Cross country literacy rates in Turkey was 97.26 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cross country literacy rates recorded in Turkey?
- The highest recorded value was 97.26 in 2021.
- What is the lowest cross country literacy rates recorded in Turkey?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.2 in 1927.
- How does Turkey rank for cross country literacy rates?
- Turkey ranks 37th out of 128 countries with data for 2021.
- Is cross country literacy rates rising or falling in Turkey?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Turkey data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Cross country literacy rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).