Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Türkiye
Türkiye: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes was 98.5% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Türkiye, 1975–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Türkiye stood at 98.5%. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Türkiye peaked at 98.5% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 56.0%, in 1975.
That places Türkiye 20th out of 87 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Türkiye, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 56.0% | — |
| 1980 | 60.6% | +8.1% |
| 1985 | 73.0% | +20.6% |
| 1990 | 77.2% | +5.7% |
| 2004 | 88.5% | +14.7% |
| 2005 | 89.5% | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 89.4% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 89.9% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 92.4% | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 94.7% | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 95.9% | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 96.5% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 96.8% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 97.0% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 97.2% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 97.4% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 97.6% | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 98.2% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 98.5% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 56.0% | 56.0% | 56.0% | 1 |
| 1980s | 66.8% | 60.6% | 73.0% | 2 |
| 1990s | 77.2% | 77.2% | 77.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 89.9% | 88.5% | 92.4% | 5 |
| 2010s | 96.8% | 94.7% | 98.2% | 9 |
| 2020s | 98.5% | 98.5% | 98.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Türkiye
More education data for Türkiye
- 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, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Türkiye?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Türkiye was 98.5% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in Türkiye?
- The highest recorded value was 98.5% in 2021.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in Türkiye?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.0% in 1975.
- How does Türkiye rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes?
- Türkiye ranks 20th out of 87 countries with data for 2021.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in Türkiye?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Türkiye data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release