Adult literacy rate in Türkiye
Adult literacy rate in Türkiye was 97.3% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics. That is the 17th highest of 56 countries in 2019.
Adult literacy rate in Türkiye, 1975 to 2021
All 19 values
| Period | % |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 97.3 |
| 2019 | 96.7 |
| 2017 | 96.2 |
| 2016 | 95.9 |
| 2015 | 95.6 |
| 2014 | 95.4 |
| 2013 | 95.3 |
| 2012 | 94.9 |
| 2011 | 94.1 |
| 2010 | 92.7 |
| 2009 | 90.8 |
| 2007 | 88.7 |
| 2006 | 88.1 |
| 2005 | 88.2 |
| 2004 | 87.4 |
| 1990 | 79.2 |
| 1985 | 76 |
| 1980 | 65.7 |
| 1975 | 61.6 |
Rankings
Definition
People aged 15 and over who can both read and write, with understanding, a short simple statement about their everyday life, as a percentage of the population aged 15 and over. UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
UIS figures from censuses, household surveys and UIS model estimates. Most high-income countries stopped measuring literacy decades ago, so they have no value; a missing value is not a rate of 0 or 100. Countries report in different years, so a ranking for one year covers only some countries.
How to cite
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). Literacy rate, adult total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS). Retrieved through World Bank World Development Indicators (data.worldbank.org). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-12. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. UIS does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.Citation styles
APA 7
UNESCO Institute for Statistics. (2026). Literacy rate, adult total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS) (Adult literacy rate, Türkiye, 1975 to 2021) [Data set]. World Bank, World Development Indicators. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS
MLA 9
Literacy rate, adult total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS), Adult literacy rate, Türkiye, 1975 to 2021. UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 8 Oct. 2026, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS. World Bank, World Development Indicators, https://data.worldbank.org. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/adult-literacy-rate/turkiye. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.
Chicago (author-date)
UNESCO Institute for Statistics. 2026. Literacy rate, adult total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS). Adult literacy rate, Türkiye, 1975 to 2021. Dataset. Distributed by World Bank, World Development Indicators. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/adult-literacy-rate/turkiye.
Harvard
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) Literacy rate, adult total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS), Adult literacy rate, Türkiye, 1975 to 2021 [Dataset]. Via World Bank, World Development Indicators. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/en/adult-literacy-rate/turkiye (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{unesco_adult_literacy_rate_turkiye_2021,
author = {{UNESCO Institute for Statistics}},
title = {{Literacy rate, adult total, \% of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS): Adult literacy rate, Türkiye, 1975 to 2021}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Data set},
publisher = {World Bank, World Development Indicators},
url = {https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS},
urldate = {2026-10-12},
note = {Retrieved through World Bank, World Development Indicators (https://data.worldbank.org). Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/adult-literacy-rate/turkiye. Publisher attribution: Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). Literacy rate, adult total, \% of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS). Retrieved through World Bank World Development Indicators (data.worldbank.org). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-12. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. UIS does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.},
}
RIS
TY - DATA
AU - UNESCO Institute for Statistics
TI - Literacy rate, adult total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS): Adult literacy rate, Türkiye, 1975 to 2021
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
PB - World Bank, World Development Indicators
DB - Invokely
UR - https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS
L2 - https://invokely.ai/en/adult-literacy-rate/turkiye
Y2 - 2026/10/12
N1 - Retrieved through World Bank, World Development Indicators (https://data.worldbank.org).
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/adult-literacy-rate/turkiye.
N1 - Publisher attribution: Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). Literacy rate, adult total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS). Retrieved through World Bank World Development Indicators (data.worldbank.org). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-12. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. UIS does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.
ER -
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What is the latest adult literacy rate in Türkiye? Cite the source.
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What is the adult literacy rate in Türkiye?
Adult literacy rate in Türkiye was 97.3% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics. That is the 17th highest of 56 countries in 2019.
Where does this figure come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Literacy rate, adult total, % of people ages 15 and above (SE.ADT.LITR.ZS). Retrieved by Invokely on 2026-10-12.
What was the highest adult literacy rate in Türkiye?
97.3% in 2021, the highest value since 1975 in this series.