19 February 2019•Update: 19 February 2019
By Muhammed Ali Gurtas
ANKARA
Turkey's sustainable development indicators for the 2010-2017 period were released by the country's statistical authority on Tuesday.
"As a result of inventory study, 83 indicators and definitions including global indicators identified as currently available and also additional indicators considered as appropriate to measure relevant target are published," TurkStat said.
The institute noted that a set of 232 global indicators were constituted to monitor achieving the goals and targets stated during the UN Sustainable Development Summit in 2015.
Within the framework of 2030 agenda for sustainable development, a total of 17 main goals and 169 targets were determined.
One of the most remarkable improvements was recorded in net official development assistances in 2010-2017.
"The total amount of net official development assistance made by Turkey as donor country increased by over eight times to $8.12 billion in 2017.
"While net official development assistance as a proportion of GDP was 0.13 percent in 2010, it increased to 0.95 percent in 2017," TurkStat said.
Relative at-risk-of-poverty-rate falls
TurkStat said that the relative at-risk-of-poverty-rate fell 3.4 percentage points from 16.9 percent in 2010 to 13.5 percent in 2017.
"While at risk of poverty rate for individuals under 15 years of age was 24.8 percent in 2010, this rate realized as 21.3 percent in 2017.
"Poverty rate for young population representing the 15-24 age group was 18.5 percent in 2010 and decreased to 15.8 percent in 2017," it said.
Over the same period, the proportion of the young people neither in employment nor in education or training declined to 24.2 percent, down from 32.3 percent.
Research and development expenditures up
TurkStat stated that research and development expenditures/GDP ratio rose from 0.80 percent to 0.96 percent in the 2010-2017 period.
In the same period, fixed internet broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants increased to 14.7 from 9.6.
"While the proportion of individuals using the internet was 37.6 percent in 2010, it was 64.7 percent in 2017," the institute said.
As of 2017, share of population with access to electricity was 100 percent, while 59.8 percent of households have natural gas subscription.
Official figures showed that 28.6 percent of Turkey was forestland in 2017, up from 27.2 percent in 2010.
Maternal mortality and under-five mortality rate down
"While maternal mortality ratio was 16.4 per hundred thousand live births in 2010, this ratio decreased to 14.6 in 2017.
"Under-five mortality rate was 11.2 per thousand live births in 2017, compared to 15.5 in 2010," the institute said.
Neonatal mortality rate -- probability of dying during the first 28 days of life -- dropped from 7.6 to 5.8 per thousand live births.
TurkStat said proportion of births attended by skilled health professional reached 98 percent in 2017, up from 91.6 percent in 2010.
"In the same period, number of physicians per hundred thousand population increased from 167 to 186," it added.
