Literacy rate, adult male in Turkey
Turkey: Literacy rate, adult male was 99.3% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult male in Turkey, 1975–2021
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of males ages 15 and above.
Analysis
In 2021, literacy rate, adult male in Turkey stood at 99.3%. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult male in Turkey peaked at 99.3% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 77.5%, in 1975.
Turkey ranks 10th of 88 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult male in Turkey, year by year
| Year | % of males ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 77.5% | — |
| 1980 | 81.5% | +5.1% |
| 1985 | 87.6% | +7.6% |
| 1990 | 89.8% | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 95.3% | +6.0% |
| 2005 | 96.0% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 96.0% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 96.2% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 96.4% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 97.3% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 97.9% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 98.3% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 98.4% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 98.5% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 98.6% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 98.7% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 98.8% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 99.1% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 99.3% | +0.2% |
Turkey compared with similar countries
- Turkey's 99.3% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 96.8%, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Turkey's 99.3% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 99.8%, 99% of the median. (10 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 77.5% | 77.5% | 77.5% | 1 |
| 1980s | 84.5% | 81.5% | 87.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 89.8% | 89.8% | 89.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 96.0% | 95.3% | 96.4% | 5 |
| 2010s | 98.4% | 97.3% | 99.1% | 9 |
| 2020s | 99.3% | 99.3% | 99.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Turkey
More education data for Turkey
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0649 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult male in Turkey?
- Literacy rate, adult male in Turkey was 99.3% in 2021, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult male recorded in Turkey?
- The highest recorded value was 99.3% in 2021.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult male recorded in Turkey?
- The lowest recorded value was 77.5% in 1975.
- How does Turkey rank for literacy rate, adult male?
- Turkey ranks 10th out of 88 countries with data for 2021.
- Is literacy rate, adult male rising or falling in Turkey?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Turkey data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.