Turkish molecular biology graduates lead brain drain: Official data

ANKARA

Two out of every 100 higher education graduates from Türkiye pursued their careers abroad in 2023, with molecular biology and genetics graduates leading the brain drain, the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) said on Sept. 26.

According to official data highlighting brain drain among university graduates for the first time, the rate among higher education graduates increased from 1.6 percent in 2015 to 2 percent in 2023. Last year, 1.6 percent of female graduates and 2.4 percent of male graduates left Türkiye for opportunities overseas.

A closer examination of migration rates by field revealed that molecular biology and genetics had the highest brain drain, with approximately 18 out of every 100 graduates relocating to foreign countries.

Following closely were fields like bioengineering, business engineering electronics, mathematics and computer engineering. The sector with the highest rate of brain drain, at 6.8 percent, was information and communication technologies, according to the data.

The United States emerged as the top destination for emigrating graduates, with 21.4 percent choosing to relocate there after completing their studies in Türkiye.

Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Canada followed suit in terms of popularity, the institute said.

Among those migrating to the U.S. and Canada, business graduates constituted the largest proportion, while computer engineering graduates overwhelmingly opted for Germany, the U.K. and the Netherlands.

Recently, medical graduates have been emigrating, with Germany being the most popular destination. Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu stated this week that the migration of doctors has not yet reached alarming levels and does not pose a threat to the national healthcare system.

The statistics, featured in the Official Statistics Program (2022-2026), were published for the first time. The data reflects information on Turkish citizens who completed their undergraduate education in Türkiye and subsequently resided abroad for extended periods.

In a bid to reverse this trend, the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) has launched a program offering substantial grants and various forms of assistance to researchers returning to Türkiye.

Institutions hosting their projects in Türkiye also receive dedicated research budgets. Furthermore, each returning scientist is expected to mentor at least five Ph.D. candidates.

In the program's initial call for applications, 243 scientists expressed interest in returning to Türkiye. As a result, 127 researchers engaged in advanced studies transferred their work back to the country.