Online education gains ground in Türkiye, reaching 22.9%

The rate of people receiving education online in Türkiye rose from 6.5% in 2017 to 22.9% in 2026, aligning with broader digital adoption, according to the country’s statistical office, TurkStat.

Overall internet usage among those aged 16-74 reached 92.3% at the same time, up 1.4 percentage points year on year.

The widespread availability of devices like phones, tablets and computers, as well as the ease of access to digital content from anywhere, drove the shift toward online learning activities.

Disruptions in in-person learning during the COVID-19 pandemic were a major catalyst boosting the digitization of education.

The rate of participation in online learning activities for educational, professional and/or personal purposes in the last three months jumped to 22.9%, indicating that nearly one in every four people across the country partakes in some form of online learning.

The rate of digital education participation was 23.5% for women and 22.4% for men.

The rate of individuals taking formal online courses rose from 2.5% in 2017 to 7.9% this year, while participation was 7.8% for women and 8.1% for men.

The rate of people using online learning materials other than standard courses surged from 4.4% to 16.6% over the 10-year period, with 17.3% of women and 16.1% of men participating in the trend.

The use of audio- or video-based online tools to talk directly with educators or students jumped from 3.1% to 11.5% over the same period, while participation was recorded at 12.5% for women and 10.6% for men, the data showed.