Country explorer: Turkey

Turkey has experienced significant economic transformations, with a notable increase in GDP per capita, a fluctuating but overall improving trend in reducing different levels of poverty, varying unemployment rates with a recent uptick, and dealing with high inflation rates that distinctively stand out in comparison to its European neighbors and upper-middle-income countries, reflecting its unique challenges and growth dynamics within the region.

Turkey has witnessed a notable population growth, contrasting with its European neighbors experiencing relatively stable or declining numbers, alongside subtle changes in fertility rates indicative of gradual societal shifts towards smaller families, yet maintaining higher levels compared to many of its regional counterparts.

Turkey has seen significant improvements in access to basic needs such as clean cooking fuels, electricity, and safely managed sanitation facilities, reflecting its development trajectory that parallels upper-middle-income countries, yet with distinctive acceleration in sanitation advancement compared to its regional peers.

Turkey has exhibited remarkable progress in human development indicators, including a substantial increase in the Human Development Index, reduction in child mortality rates, improvement in adult literacy, and an elevation in learning-adjusted years of schooling, distinguishing it as a nation on an accelerated path of human development compared to its upper-middle-income peers.

Turkey has seen a gradual yet significant transformation in its environment and energy sectors, reflecting a nationwide shift towards increased renewable energy production and resource management, highlighted by its notable expansion in solar and wind energy generation which aligns with global sustainability trends.

Turkey has demonstrated significant progress in technological adoption and innovation, with rapidly increasing internet usage, widespread mobile connectivity that surpasses many of its peers, a steady rise in research and development expenditure relative to GDP, and a growing contribution to scientific and technical journal publications, signaling a vibrant move towards becoming a knowledge-driven economy.

Turkey has seen significant shifts in its culture and society, marked by a steady increase in the share of the population born abroad, an improving outlook on life satisfaction scores despite fluctuations, a consistent progress in reducing gender inequality, and a decrease in the age dependency ratio, differentiating it as a nation with an increasingly diverse, optimistic, and gender-equitable society alongside a youthful demographic profile relative to some of its peers.

Turkey has experienced a significant decline in governance indicators, including reductions in rule of law, press freedom, political civil liberties, and an increase in perceived corruption, marking a notable departure from democratic norms largely maintained by its regional peers.