Türkiye’s Education System in Focus: OECD 2025 Report Highlights Strengths and Challenges

Türkiye’s education system has once again come under the spotlight with the release of the OECD Education at a Glance 2025 report. The findings reveal both progress and persistent challenges, particularly in the areas of tertiary education, employment outcomes, funding, and internationalization. While Türkiye continues to close gaps in upper secondary attainment and university completion rates, issues such as high graduate unemployment and relatively low public investment remain central concerns.

Declining Share of Adults Without Secondary Education

Across the OECD, the share of 25-34 year-olds without upper secondary education has steadily declined, averaging 13% in 2024. Türkiye has made significant strides in this area. Between 2019 and 2024, the proportion of young adults without secondary qualifications fell from 41% to 28%. This steady decline demonstrates the impact of policy measures aimed at broadening access to education.

Education and Employment Outcomes

Globally, individuals with higher educational attainment tend to enjoy lower unemployment rates and higher earnings. The OECD average shows that 12.9% of young adults without secondary education are unemployed, compared to 6.9% with secondary qualifications and 4.9% with tertiary degrees.

However, Türkiye’s labor market paints a different picture. Unemployment rates remain stubbornly high across all levels of education:

• 11.2% for those without secondary education,

• 10.2% for secondary graduates, and

• 10.6% for tertiary graduates.

This unusual pattern highlights structural issues in the economy and a mismatch between graduate skills and market demands.

Master’s Degrees: A Limited Pathway

While master’s degrees boost employability and earnings across the OECD, Türkiye lags behind in the proportion of young adults holding such qualifications. Only 3% of 25-34 year-olds in Türkiye hold a master’s or equivalent degree, compared to the OECD average of 16%. This figure has not changed since 2019, signaling limited expansion in postgraduate education opportunities.

Wage Gaps Remain Significant

Earnings disparities by education remain wider in Türkiye than across the OECD. Workers without upper secondary qualifications earn 23% less than those who completed secondary education, compared to an OECD average of 17%. At the same time, tertiary graduates in Türkiye earn 49% more than secondary graduates, slightly below the OECD’s 54% average. These figures suggest that while higher education still offers significant returns, inequalities remain sharp at the lower end of the education scale.

Demographic Shifts and Early Education

Population dynamics are reshaping the demand for education. Between 2013 and 2023, Türkiye experienced an 11% decline in the number of children aged 0-4, with a further 2% decline projected by 2033. This demographic trend underscores the need for strategic planning in early childhood education.

At the pre-primary level, Türkiye has seen a 67.3% surge in enrollments since 2015, but government expenditure per child has dropped by 21.7% due to this rapid increase. This contrasts with the OECD average, where spending per child rose by 24%.

Student Progression and Completion

Completion rates for tertiary programs are a bright spot for Türkiye. The country significantly outperforms the OECD average in bachelor’s degree completion:

• 64% of students finish within the theoretical timeframe (OECD average: 43%),

• 78% within one extra year (OECD: 59%),

• 86% within three years (OECD: 70%).

Gender disparities remain, however. 91% of women complete their bachelor’s programs within three years beyond the expected duration, compared to 80% of men.

By field of study, Türkiye posts high completion rates: 81% in STEM and 94% in health and welfare, both exceeding OECD benchmarks. First-year dropout rates are also remarkably low, at just 1% compared to the OECD’s 13%.

Rising International Student Mobility

Internationalization is growing in Türkiye’s universities. Between 2018 and 2023, the share of foreign or international students rose from 1.7% to 4.3%, reflecting Türkiye’s increasing role as a hub for global education, particularly for students from neighboring regions and developing economies.

Investment in Education: Below OECD Averages

Public spending remains a critical challenge. Türkiye spends USD 3,374 per student at primary to post-secondary non-tertiary levels, far below the OECD average of over USD 13,000. At the tertiary level, Türkiye spends USD 7,698 per student, compared to the OECD’s USD 15,102.

Measured as a share of GDP, Türkiye devotes 3.4% to education, trailing the OECD average of 4.7%. The share of education in Türkiye’s public budget has also fallen, from 12.9% in 2015 to 10.6% in 2022.

Funding sources reveal another gap: the government covers 83.6% of primary, secondary, and post-secondary non-tertiary education costs, lower than the OECD’s 90.1%. At the tertiary level, 71.1% of funding comes from public sources, close to the OECD’s 71.9%.

Teachers and Learning Environment

Teacher shortages are a pressing issue globally, with many countries offering pathways for professionals to transition into teaching. Unlike 16 other OECD members, Türkiye does not provide alternative routes for second-career teachers, limiting flexibility in recruitment.

Instruction time is also lower than the OECD average. Primary students in Türkiye receive 720 hours of compulsory instruction annually (OECD: 804), while lower secondary students receive 843 hours (OECD: 909).

Class sizes are in line with OECD averages at 20.6 students per primary class, down by 2.5 since 2013. At tertiary level, research-focused institutions average 18 students per academic staff member, while less research-oriented universities average 31 students.

Key Takeaways

The OECD 2025 report highlights Türkiye’s significant progress in reducing early school leaving and improving tertiary completion rates. However, challenges remain in graduate employment, funding, and equitable access to education. The country’s growing international student base and demographic shifts add urgency to policy reforms, while investment levels and teacher recruitment strategies need careful reassessment.

For Türkiye to fully harness its young population’s potential, education must be placed at the core of its development strategy, ensuring that quality, equity, and employability move forward together.