Turkey is experiencing a rising wave of youth emigration as students say they can no longer see a future in a country, where the cost of living has surged and job prospects remain limited, Turkish Minute reported, citing the Nefes daily.
The pressure is felt most sharply on university campuses, where even basic needs have become difficult to afford. Nefes reported that a student relying on the cheapest possible diet, simit, a traditional Turkish bread, and ayran, a yogurt-based non-alcoholic drink, now needs about 2,700 lira ($64) a month, leaving many struggling to get through each day.
A shortage of state-run dormitories forces thousands into costly private housing, pushing many to work long hours while studying or to consider leaving the country altogether.
A student named Selin Turgut told the newspaper that young people feel “overwhelmed,” saying she often thinks about emigrating but also feels a responsibility to stay.
Another student, Enes Şabanoğlu, said the lack of job opportunities in his field leaves him uncertain about the future. He works while studying, he said, but is unsure whether it will be enough to build a life in Turkey.
A third student, Eda Altun, who receives a 3,000 lira ($70) monthly loan from the Higher Education Credit and Hostels Institution (KYK), said even cafeteria meals have become too expensive. She said students now spend much of their time calculating “how to get through the day” instead of planning ahead. Altun said she is actively looking for ways to go abroad because she believes only then will she “have a more comfortable life.”
These accounts reflect a broader national trend. Young people are leaving Turkey in significant numbers, citing financial strain, political uncertainty and reduced confidence in the country’s long-term prospects.
Data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) show the scale of the shift. In 2018, 136,740 Turkish citizens emigrated. The number rose to 291,377 in 2023 before falling to 151,140 in 2024. Most were aged 20–24 and 25–29, the age groups most likely to contribute to the country’s workforce and innovation sectors.
A separate study, “Higher Education Brain Drain Statistics, 2024,” released in late October, found the highest emigration rates among graduates in information and communication technologies (6.7 percent). Engineering, manufacturing and construction followed at 4.4 percent, with natural sciences, mathematics and statistics at 2.7 percent.
The United States and Germany are the top destinations, followed by the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada. These countries are seen as offering stronger academic opportunities, higher wages and more reliable career paths.
Concerns about brain drain have intensified in recent years as political pressure and economic difficulties push many of Turkey’s most educated citizens to seek opportunities abroad.
The trend now extends even beyond university graduates to high-performing students at elite secondary schools. Graduates of İstanbul High School, Galatasaray High School and the German High School are increasingly choosing to study overseas, citing fears of unemployment, political repression and declining education standards.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP), in power since 2002, has faced criticism for restricting academic freedom and limiting research opportunities. After a failed coup on July 15, 2016 the government dismissed thousands of academics, revoked passports and shut down civil society groups, deepening concerns about political pressure across the education sector.
Recent studies on Turkey’s brain drain cite rising authoritarianism, religious nationalism, financial hardship and strict government control over universities as key factors driving young people to seek futures elsewhere.
