Türkiye’s brain drain rate reaches highest level since 2015: Data

ANKARA

Germany is the top destination for Turkish university graduates moving abroad, followed by the United States and the United Kingdom.

Türkiye’s brain drain rate among university graduates rose to 2.2 percent in 2025, marking its highest level since the data series began in 2015, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK).

The rate stood at 2.7 percent for men and 1.8 percent for women.

According to TÜİK’s higher education brain drain statistics for 2025, Istanbul recorded the highest rate among Turkish provinces, at 4 percent, followed by Izmir, Ankara, Eskişehir and Yalova. The lowest rate was recorded in Siirt, at 0.2 percent, followed by Hakkari, Kilis, Van and Bitlis.

The rate was higher among graduates of foundation universities, which are privately established higher education institutions in Türkiye, than among public university graduates. It reached 4.4 percent for foundation university graduates, compared with 1.9 percent for those graduating from state universities.

By field of study, information and communication technologies recorded the highest brain drain rate at 7 percent, followed by engineering, manufacturing and construction at 4.8 percent and natural sciences, mathematics and statistics at 3 percent.

Molecular biology and genetics topped the list of undergraduate programs, with a brain drain rate of 13.1 percent, followed by business engineering at 13 percent, mathematics engineering at 11 percent, electronics engineering at 10.9 percent and physics engineering at 10.2 percent.

Graduates whose programs were taught in French had the highest brain drain rate by language of instruction, at 10.5 percent, followed by German at 7.5 percent, English at 6.8 percent and Russian at 5 percent.

Germany was the most popular destination for Turkish university graduates who moved abroad, followed by the United States at 16.9 percent, the United Kingdom at 10.5 percent, the Netherlands at 8.3 percent and Canada at 5.2 percent.

Computer engineering graduates accounted for the largest share of those moving to Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Electrical and electronics engineering graduates made up the largest share of those moving to the United States, while business graduates were the leading group among those relocating to Canada.