The share of Turkish university graduates who settle abroad rose last year, according to 2025 higher-education brain drain statistics from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) reported by Turkish media on Friday.
The brain drain rate for higher-education graduates reached 2.2% in 2025, up from 2% a year earlier. The rate was 2.7% for men and 1.8% for women. TÜİK measures the share of graduates in a given year who are later recorded as living abroad.
Germany overtakes the United States
Among bachelor’s graduates who moved abroad, Germany was the most common destination with a 22% share, followed by the United States at 16.9%, the United Kingdom at 10.5%, the Netherlands at 8.3% and Canada at 5.2%.
That is a change from the 2024 figures, when the United States narrowly led with 19.6% against Germany’s 19.4%. Computer engineering was the most common degree among graduates moving to Germany, the UK and the Netherlands, while electrical and electronics engineering led for the US and business administration for Canada.
Germany is home to the largest Turkish diaspora in Europe, and travel links remain dense; low-cost airline AJet, for example, is adding direct flights from Dalaman and Bodrum to Germany next summer.
Tech graduates most likely to leave
By field of study, information and communication technologies had the highest rate at 7%, followed by engineering, manufacturing and construction at 4.8%, and natural sciences, mathematics and statistics at 3%. ICT also topped the list for women, at 5.1%.
Graduates of private foundation universities were far more likely to leave than those of state universities: 4.4% against 1.9%. Among foundation university graduates, those who had studied on full scholarships had the highest rate, at 8.6%, compared with 3.8% for partial-scholarship students and 3.7% for fee-paying students.
Istanbul and İzmir lead
By province, Istanbul had the highest rate at 4%, followed by İzmir, Ankara, Eskişehir and Yalova. Siirt in the southeast had the lowest rate, at 0.2%.
The figures come as Türkiye’s job market shows signs of strain in some sectors; tourism employment, for example, has fallen by tens of thousands this year. High inflation and the cost of housing in big cities are often cited by young professionals as reasons to look abroad.
For foreigners, the trend runs partly the other way: Türkiye continues to attract retirees, remote workers and property buyers, especially on the coast. Our checklist for moving to Türkiye and guide to the cost of living in Türkiye in 2026 cover the practical steps.
Sources
- Türkiye’de beyin göçü arttı: Üniversite mezunlarının ilk tercihi Almanya (NTV)
- Yükseköğretim beyin göçü istatistikleri belli oldu (Milliyet, 2024 data)
Photo: Pang Yuhao / Unsplash License, via Unsplash
