The Turkish Statistical Institute announced on Thursday that the brain drain rate for higher education graduates in Türkiye has reached 2.0% in 2023, up from 1.6% in 2015.

The report highlights a concerning trend in the emigration of skilled graduates, particularly in the fields of science and technology.

Gender Disparities in Brain Drain Rates

The analysis revealed that the brain drain rate for female graduates stands at 1.6%, while the rate for male graduates is significantly higher at 2.4%.

Top Fields Affected

The fields most affected by this trend include information and communication technologies, which recorded a brain drain rate of 6.8%. Other notable fields are engineering, manufacturing and construction (4.4%) and natural sciences, mathematics and statistics (2.6%).

Programs with Highest Emigration Rates

Among specific academic programs, molecular biology and genetics exhibited the highest brain drain rate at 17.9%. Other programs with significant emigration rates include bioengineering (10.2%), management engineering (9.8%), electronics engineering (9.1%), mathematical engineering (8.9%), and computer engineering (8.4%).

Preferred Destinations for Graduates

The United States remains the top destination for Turkish graduates seeking opportunities abroad, with 21.4% opting to emigrate there. Germany follows at 17.5%, the United Kingdom at 11.2%, the Netherlands at 6.9%, and Canada at 4.9%. Notably, business administration graduates comprised the largest share of those emigrating to the USA and Canada, while those moving to Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands primarily hailed from computer engineering programs.

This report raises concerns about the implications of brain drain on Türkiye’s future workforce and economic development, highlighting the need for strategic measures to retain skilled graduates within the country. (ILKHA)