Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Türkiye

Türkiye: Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes was 1.33 million number in 2017. ▼ Falling

Latest (2017)
1.33 million number
Change on year
up 65.5%
World rank
15th
of 82 countries
All-time high
2.12 million number
in 2006
All-time low
803,251 number
in 2016
Years of data
17
1975–2017

Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Türkiye, 1975–2017

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M1975199620171975: 1.3M number1980: 1.6M number1985: 1.5M number1990: 1.6M number2004: 2.1M number2005: 2.0M number2006: 2.1M number2007: 2.1M number2009: 1.9M number2010: 1.8M number2011: 1.6M number2012: 1.4M number2013: 1.4M number2014: 1.4M number2015: 1.4M number2016: 803.3k number2017: 1.3M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

In 2017, elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Türkiye stood at 1.33 million number.

The figure is up 65.5% on the previous year and down 36.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Türkiye peaked at 2.12 million number in 2006 and was at its lowest, 803,251 number, in 2016.

That places Türkiye 15th out of 82 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 17 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.32 million number 1.32 million number 1.32 million number 1
1980s 1.56 million number 1.52 million number 1.59 million number 2
1990s 1.60 million number 1.60 million number 1.60 million number 1
2000s 2.05 million number 1.92 million number 2.12 million number 5
2010s 1.38 million number 803,251 number 1.83 million number 8

Countries ranked near Türkiye

  1. 12 Morocco 1.66 million number compare
  2. 13 Thailand 1.56 million number compare
  3. 14 South Africa 1.35 million number compare
  4. 16 Nepal 1.23 million number compare
  5. 17 Least developed countries 23.94 million number compare
  6. 17 Viet Nam 984,040 number compare
  7. 18 Tanzania, United Republic of 760,646 number compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More reference data data for Türkiye

All data for Türkiye →

Frequently asked questions

What is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Türkiye?
Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Türkiye was 1.33 million number in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes recorded in Türkiye?
The highest recorded value was 2.12 million number in 2006.
What is the lowest elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes recorded in Türkiye?
The lowest recorded value was 803,251 number in 2016.
How does Türkiye rank for elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes?
Türkiye ranks 15th out of 82 countries with data for 2017.
Is elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes rising or falling in Türkiye?
Over the last ten years it is down 36.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Türkiye data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes in Türkiye. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/elderly-illiterate-population-65-years-both-sexes-number/turkiye/

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About this data

Indicator
Elderly illiterate population, 65+ years, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
120 places, 2,196 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total number of adults over age 65 who cannot both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on their everyday life.