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Societycbi:///cms/240879
Today, approximately 74 million people live in Turkey - about five times as many as in 1923, when the state was founded. This growth can be attributed mainly to Turkey's increasing modernisation. Over the past ten years, the mortality rate went down while life expectancy rose by four years. Though the birth rate has also gone down, at 2.04 children per woman (2011), it is still above the European average. At present, the population growth rate is 1.35 percent. For 2050, a population of approximately 95 million Turks is expected. The Turkish are a very young people: the average age is 29.7 years. On average, Western Europeans are 40 years old. cbi:///cms/240881
Rising urban developmentcbi:///cms/240882
The Turkish social structure is largely defined by regional differences between East and West. While the West is more industrial in character, the Eastern part is seen as rural and less developed. The lack of professional perspectives is one reason why especially younger people are moving to major cities like Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa and Adana. This internal migration has direct impact on the population distribution within the country: three out of four citizens live in cities. The result is an overpopulation of urban space and housing development in the outskirts. cbi:///cms/240884
Educationcbi:///cms/240885
Approximately every fourth Turk is of compulsory schooling age. This is also one of the reasons why the educational sector has gained particular socio-political significance in shaping the country's future. Since its inauguration, the AKP government has been trying to reform the outdated educational system - also with the help of international organisations like UNICEF. Now, eight years of compulsory schooling for boys and girls have been introduced almost all over the country. However, only approximately 89 percent of those children attend secondary school. Girls as well as children from rural regions are still disadvantaged by the educational system. cbi:///cms/240887
Challenges in educationcbi:///cms/240888
Turkey still has a rather high illiteracy rate. In 2008, approximately eleven percent of the population were unable to read and write. According to the PISA study 2009, Turkey ranked in the lower third among the participating countries. Not least, this is due to the poor financial infrastructure of the educational sector: the country invests only approximately two percent of its GDP in education. This is well below the OECD average of 4.5 percent (2009).
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Academic landscape in Turkeycbi:///cms/240890
Only around 40 percent of school graduates authorised to enter university actually receive a place at one of the country's state or private universities. Though the number of enrolments has increased in the past, it is still below the OECD average. Many students decide to study abroad. Germany is their favourite destination, which is mainly due to the close ties between the two countries. The allocation of university places is organised by the Turkish Council for Higher Education (YÖK). It coordinates the finance, contents and resource planning at the universities. cbi:///cms/240892
Religious and ethnic groupscbi:///cms/240893
The Ottoman Empire was a multiethnic state where many religions were practised. The Turkish Republic, too, is characterised by diversity. At 99 percent, the Muslim population is the largest denomination. Christians of various religious affiliations and Jews form a minority. Three fourths of the population are Turks. The others are from various ethnic minority backgrounds, whereby the Kurdish people make the largest group at approximately 18 percent. The constitution does not consider ethnic affiliation because it regards all Turkish citizens as equal individuals. Therefore, the approximately 15 million Kurdish people are not recognised as a minority. In the past, this has time and again led to sometimes violent conflicts. cbi:///cms/240895
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