12 answers, 7 from Turkmenistan's own official bodies, with a link to each figure.
99.9% of people aged 15 and over in Turkmenistan were literate at the 2022 population and housing census, according to the State Committee of Turkmenistan on Statistics. The rate was 99.9% for both men and women and between 99.8% and 99.9% in every region.
The figure describes the population counted on 17 December 2022. The same census section gives the population by level of education and professional training. No annual school or university statistics were found on the State Committee's site on 15 October 2026.
The gross enrolment ratio in primary education in Turkmenistan was 95.7% in 2024, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. It was 97.3% in 2023 and 99.2% in 2021. In lower secondary education the ratio was 96.6% in 2024 (UIS), up from 86.7% in 2019.
The gross enrolment ratio divides all pupils at a level, whatever their age, by the population of official age for that level. It can exceed 100% when older or younger children are enrolled, and falls below 100% when some children of school age are not in school or are counted at another level.
4.3% of children of primary school age in Turkmenistan were out of school in 2024, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. The rate was 2.1% in 2022. For adolescents of lower secondary school age, the rate was 3.4% in 2024, down from 5.8% in 2022 (UIS).
The out-of-school rate counts children of official school age who are not enrolled in primary or secondary education. UNESCO marks its 2023 primary value as its own estimate. The rates are calculated from enrolment data and population estimates, so changes in population figures can move them.
The gross enrolment ratio in tertiary education in Turkmenistan was 20.4% in 2024, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. It was 18.8% in 2023, 16.7% in 2022 and 14.5% in 2021.
The ratio divides all tertiary students by the population in the five-year age group after secondary school. At the 2022 census, 397,086 people aged 10 and over had higher professional education, 7.1% of that population, according to the State Committee of Turkmenistan on Statistics. The share was 17.3% in Ashgabat city and 3.8% in rural areas.
44.4% of children one year before primary school age took part in organised learning in Turkmenistan in 2024, according to the TurkmenStat SDG platform (indicator 4.2.2). The rate was 45.5% for boys and 43.3% for girls. It was 49.8% in 2019 and 46.2% in 2016.
Participation varied widely by region in 2024, from 23.5% in Mary velayat and 29.4% in Dashoguz velayat to 73.3% in Balkan velayat and 84.4% in Ashgabat city. The platform publishes values only for 2016, 2019 and 2024, the years with survey or census data.
Of 5,580,854 people aged 10 and over at the 2022 census, 3,604,970 (64.6%) had complete general secondary education as their highest level, according to the State Committee of Turkmenistan on Statistics. 397,086 (7.1%) had higher professional education and 319,365 (5.7%) secondary professional education.
Among people with professional education, 44.1% had higher professional education, 34.5% secondary professional and 21.4% initial professional or technical training. The higher-education share of that group ranged from 32.0% in Balkan velayat to 54.3% in Ashgabat city. Only 16,227 people aged 10 and over had no education.
99.4% of young people in Turkmenistan had completed primary education in 2019, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. The lower secondary completion rate was 99.1% (UIS). Both rates were above 99% in 2015 as well.
The completion rate is the share of people a few years above the official finishing age for a level who have completed it. It is calculated from household survey data, so it is available only for survey years; 2019 is the latest year UNESCO publishes for Turkmenistan.
The figures below use one definition for every country, so they can differ from national figures.
The latest figure from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, for 2024, is 94.6%. Since 2019 it has ranged from 84.1% (2019) to 102.5% (2023). It is 26th highest of 34 in Europe & Central Asia, where the median is 101.1%. World rank, highest first: 50th of 100.
20.4%: that is gross tertiary enrolment in Turkmenistan for 2024, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. It is the top of the series, which starts in 2014. It is 34th highest of 34 in Europe & Central Asia, where the median is 71.1%. World rank, highest first: 74th of 90.
In 2022, the adult literacy rate in Turkmenistan was 99.9%, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. It is 3rd highest of 6 in Europe & Central Asia, where the median is 99.9%. World rank, highest first: 4th of 44.
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics puts government spending on education in Turkmenistan at 4.3% of GDP in 2024. No year since 2012 has been higher. Worldwide: 18th of 36.
The latest figure from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, for 2024, is 98.6%. It is 12th highest of 30 in Europe & Central Asia, where the median is 98.2%. Of 104 countries with 2024 data, 32nd highest.
Read on 14 October 2026. Definitions · Report an error