Education in İstanbul, Türkiye: official figures
23.8% of residents aged 15 and over across the province that contains the city of İstanbul held a university or college degree in 2024, 2nd highest of 33 big-city provinces (national 19.6%); the share was 24.2% for women and 23.4% for men.
What is the literacy rate in İstanbul?
212,397 residents of the province of İstanbul aged 6 and over could not read or write in 2024, an illiteracy rate of 1.52% (10th lowest of 33 big-city provinces; Turkey 2.25%); the rate was 2.53% among women and 0.50% among men.
Source: Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK, Turkish Statistical Institute) · saved copyMore figures
- The graduate share across the province that contains the city of İstanbul grew from 15.7% in 2014 to 23.8% in 2024, a rise of 8.1 percentage points. Source: Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK, Turkish Statistical Institute) · saved copy
- 29.3% of adults across the province that contains the city of İstanbul had finished high school (lise) as their highest level in 2024. Source: Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK, Turkish Statistical Institute) · saved copy
- Illiteracy across the province that contains the city of İstanbul fell from 2.51% in 2014 to 1.52% in 2024. Source: Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK, Turkish Statistical Institute) · saved copy
- 427,037 people across the province that contains the city of İstanbul held a master’s degree and 66,069 a doctorate in 2024, 40.6 postgraduates per 1,000 adults (2nd highest of 33 big-city provinces). Source: Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK, Turkish Statistical Institute) · saved copy
- 50% of people in İstanbul were satisfied with schools and other educational facilities (EU quality of life in European cities survey, 2023). Source: Eurostat · saved copy
How İstanbul compares with other cities in Türkiye
Adults (15+) with a university degree (whole province) (2024)
İstanbul ranks 2 of 33, highest first. Province-wide figures for the 33 cities with pages.
| Rank | City | Adults (15+) with a university degree (whole province) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ankara | 27.1% |
| 2 | İstanbul | 23.8% |
| 3 | Muğla | 23.2% |
| 4 | İzmir | 22.9% |
| 5 | Eskişehir | 22.8% |
| 6 | Antalya | 22.0% |
| 7 | Kocaeli | 21.4% |
Illiteracy rate, age 6 and over (whole province) (2024)
İstanbul ranks 24 of 33, highest first. Province-wide figures for the 33 cities with pages.
| Rank | City | Illiteracy rate, age 6 and over (whole province) |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Konya | 1.68% |
| 22 | Manisa | 1.66% |
| 23 | Kocaeli | 1.53% |
| 24 | İstanbul | 1.52% |
| 25 | Balıkesir | 1.49% |
| 26 | Ankara | 1.43% |
| 27 | Aydın | 1.40% |
Master’s and doctorate holders per 1,000 adults (whole province) (2024)
İstanbul ranks 2 of 33, highest first. Province-wide figures for the 33 cities with pages.
| Rank | City | Master’s and doctorate holders per 1,000 adults (whole province) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ankara | 55.1 |
| 2 | İstanbul | 40.6 |
| 3 | Eskişehir | 36.8 |
| 4 | İzmir | 33.7 |
| 5 | Elazığ | 30.8 |
| 6 | Erzurum | 29.4 |
| 7 | Muğla | 28.9 |
More on İstanbul: overview · economy and jobs · health · poverty and living standards · government budget · government and politics · all cities in Türkiye
Sources
- Eurostat: Eurostat dataset urb_percep: Quality of life in European cities survey 2023: perception (cities), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 81bd3e277f3e…)
- Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK, Turkish Statistical Institute): Bölgesel İstatistikler (Regional Statistics database): 114 indicators for the 81 provinces, 2014-2024 (CSV export), read 24 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 54a60ac62f7a…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.