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A new report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has found that nearly one-third of young people in Türkiye are disconnected from both education and the workforce.
According to the "Education at a Glance 2025" study, 31.3% of those aged 18 to 24 in the country are "NEETs"—a term referring to people who are not in education, employment, or training. This figure is more than double the OECD average of 14.1%.
The gender gap is striking. While 22.1% of men in this age group fall into this category, the figure rises to 41.6% for women.
By comparison, the OECD average difference between men and women is only 1.5 percentage points.
The report highlights that Türkiye has the lowest employment rate among OECD countries for both high school and university graduates.
Only 63% of those with a high school diploma and 75.4% of university graduates are employed. This is far below the OECD averages of 77.6% and 87.1%, respectively.
The findings underline a troubling trend: among adults aged 25 to 64 with a university degree, nearly one in four (24.6%) are unemployed.
Despite these challenges, the report also points to progress in educational attainment.
The proportion of young adults aged 25 to 34 without a high school diploma fell from 41% in 2019 to 28% in 2025. During the same period, the share of university graduates rose from 35% to 44%.
The gap between men and women who leave school before completing high school has also narrowed significantly.
The study notes that many students in Türkiye postpone higher education after completing high school.
Roughly 42% of new university entrants start their studies at least one year later.
Nevertheless, dropout rates in the first year of university remain unusually low—only 1% in Türkiye, compared with an OECD average of 13%.
The report also compares school calendars. In Türkiye, primary school students are on holiday for 15 weeks each year, which is longer than the OECD average of 13.5 weeks.
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