Last month I ran into a former colleague at a coffee meeting in Dubai. Years ago we worked at the same school together; she had since left and moved to the Netherlands with her two children. "How did you decide?" I asked. Her answer was simple: "I didn't really decide — the numbers decided. I saw what growing up here would give my kids, and there was no going back."
That conversation brought back a question I'd been thinking about for a while: how many children and young people actually leave Turkey every year? And what's the real story behind that number?
The answer is bigger than most people guess. According to TÜİK (Turkish Statistical Institute) data, Turkey sends 46,399 children and young people abroad every year across the 0-22 age range. That's close to the population of a mid-sized Turkish district — and it happens again every single year.
What Do the Numbers Say?
TÜİK's international migration statistics show that the total population emigrating from Turkey each year is 151,140 people. Within that total, children and young people make up a surprisingly large share: roughly a third, or 46,399 people, fall within the 0-22 age range.
This figure isn't a single block. It's made up of three distinct cohorts representing three very different life stages, each telling its own story:
| Age Group | Annual Emigration | The Story It Represents |
|---|---|---|
| 0-14 years | 18,136 | Children moving with their families — the decision belongs to the parents |
| 15-18 years | 9,824 | Teens relocating during high school or starting high school abroad |
| 19-22 years | 18,439 | Young adults moving independently for university or career |
| Total | 46,399 | The number that repeats every single year |
What's striking is that the smallest group, against expectations, is the 15-18 age range. This is largely because the high school years are seen as the "riskiest to relocate during" academically and socially — families either delay or move up the timing of a move to avoid this window. The two largest groups sit at opposite ends: young children (moved by family decision) and young adults (moving on their own).
What Drives These Families?
Having guided hundreds of families through this process, I consistently see three motivations behind these decisions:
1. The Globalisation of Educational Capital. Families increasingly see education not just as a local grade average but as internationally recognised "capital." An IB diploma, academic English proficiency, early preparation for international university admissions — all of these become an asset the child carries wherever they choose to live in the future.
2. Merit and Employment Security. Many parents don't want their children to face the same career uncertainty they experienced themselves. They believe growing up in an environment with merit-based, transparent hiring processes offers a more secure long-term career foundation.
3. Social Welfare and Security. Beyond the education system, daily quality of life, access to healthcare, public safety and social welfare networks are also significant factors shaping the decision.
Observation: Most of the families I work with describe their decision to relocate not as an "escape" but as an "investment." This framing significantly changes both family discussions and the child's own perspective on the process.
Not Every Child Makes the Same Journey
The migration experience of a 4-year-old and a 17-year-old, even on the same flight, are two entirely different journeys. Here's how the adaptation process tends to look by age:
| Age Group | Language Adaptation | Psychological Load | Overall Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-6 years | Very Easy | Very Low | Brain development is at its most flexible; highest chance of acquiring the new language like a native. |
| 6-12 years | Easy-Moderate | Low-Moderate | Academic language acquisition takes some time but social adaptation usually happens quickly. |
| 12-18 years | Difficult | High | The most sensitive period for identity formation and social belonging; requires comprehensive preparation and support. |
| 19-22 years | Moderate | High | Language load is lighter but identity and belonging continue to weigh heavily in a different way; individual support is essential. |
A neurobiological fact: The brain's flexibility for language acquisition declines with age, but this never means "impossible" at any age. The difficulty for the 12-18 age group isn't language — it's that social identity and belonging are at their most fragile during this period.
What Happens to Turkish?
One of the most commonly overlooked risks for families relocating abroad is the possibility of the child losing their native language. As children adapt quickly to a second language (usually English), Turkish can lose its fluency first, and then its vocabulary, as opportunities to use it outside the home shrink.
The steps I recommend to reduce this risk are relatively simple but require consistency: speaking only Turkish at home, continuing to consume Turkish books and shows/films, making regular visits to Turkey, and connecting with Turkish communities abroad where possible. When deciding whether to school your child abroad, building this language-loss risk into the plan from the start is far more effective than trying to fix it later.
The Bigger Picture: What Is Turkey Losing?
The sum of individual family decisions translates into a demographic and economic picture at the national level. The 18,439-person 19-22 age cohort leaving every year is, to a large extent, a highly educated population segment that has completed or is about to complete university education. A portion of this group not returning represents a long-term loss of skilled workforce.
This is also directly connected to the structural problems in Turkey's education system. A rote-learning-focused curriculum, frequently changing exam systems, and PISA results that lag behind international standards all directly shape the answer families give to the question "why should we stay?" The education system's own inability to improve indirectly fuels a cycle that strengthens the trend toward emigration.
What I Tell Families
I'd encourage you to read this not as a warning but as a call to prepare. Relocating abroad has become a statistically common choice, but every family's journey is unique. In practice, here's what I recommend:
- Prepare specifically for your child's age group. A social-emotional support plan for the 12-18 age group and language-enrichment opportunities for the 0-6 age group require very different priorities.
- Clarify the academic level before you move. Setting out without knowing which school, which year group, or which curriculum your child will start with makes the transition unnecessarily harder.
- Make Turkish part of the plan. Language loss is usually quite advanced by the time it's noticed; a preventive approach is always easier.
- Back the decision with data. Saying "I know" instead of "I feel" reduces family conflict and lowers the stress of the whole process.
Behind these numbers are thousands of families and thousands of different stories. But they all share one thing in common: a relocation handled with the right preparation can become a gain in a child's life, not a loss.
