In 2023, the expected duration of schooling for an individual starting primary school in Türkiye, up until completing the highest level of education, was 17.9 years.
The Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) shared the 2023 Expected Duration of Schooling (EDS) data. Accordingly, in 2023, an individual starting primary school in Türkiye was expected to spend 17.9 years in education until completing the highest level of education.
The estimated duration for completing secondary education was 12.3 years, while the duration for preschool education was calculated as 1.6 years.
The expected duration of schooling for an individual starting primary school showed a 1.3% overall decrease compared to the previous year. This decline, which has been observed since 2021, was faster for males than for females. In 2023, the EDS for males fell by 2.8% to 17.6 years, while for females, it increased by 0.3% to 18.4 years.
In 2023, Istanbul had the highest expected duration of schooling at 20.3 years, Istanbul was followed by Karabük with 19.7 years, Ankara with 19.6 years, and Rize and Erzincan with 19.1 years. In contrast, Muş and Şırnak had the lowest EDS at 14.9 years, followed by Ağrı and Şanlıurfa at 15.1 years, and Mardin at 15.8 years.
From 2019 to 2023, the provinces with the highest increases in EDS were Gümüşhane at 8.3%, Hakkari at 4.6%, Van at 2.5%, Diyarbakır at 2.1% and Ağrı at 1.7%.
During the same period, the provinces with the most significant declines in EDS were Eskişehir at 10.4%, Çankırı at 10.3%, Yalova at 10%, Antalya at 9.6% and Muğla at 8.6%.
In Türkiye overall, EDS in 2023 was 18.4 years for females and 17.6 years for males, Istanbul recorded the highest EDS for both genders. For males, Karabük, Ankara, Erzincan and Bayburt followed Istanbul, while for females, Karabük, Tunceli, Ankara and Rize came next.
In male EDS, Ağrı had the lowest value, followed by Şırnak, Muş, Şanlıurfa and Mardin, while for females, the lowest values were in Muş, Şanlıurfa, Şırnak, Ağrı and Bitlis.
The gender equality index within EDS, calculated as the ratio of the female EDS value to the male EDS value for ISCED 1-8 levels (primary to higher education), stood at 1.05 in 2023. The index, which was 0.97 in 2018, rose by 0.08 points over this period, continuing to shift in favor of females.
The five provinces with the highest gender equality index were Tunceli and Iğdır at 1.12, Çanakkale at 1.10, and Bartın and Çankırı at 1.09. On the other hand, the lowest gender equality index values were in Bitlis, Şanlıurfa and Siirt at 0.95, followed by Muş at 0.96 and Batman at 0.98.
