Demographic and Regional Determinants of Health Literacy Levels in Turkey: A Secondary Data Analysis of the 2023 Official Statistics

<jats:p>This study examines health literacy levels in Turkey and their demographic and regional determinants using secondary analysis methods based on data from a large-scale, nationally representative survey conducted by the Turkish Ministry of Health in 2023. The study sample consists of 9,541 participants reached through face-to-face interviews in 15,430 households across Turkey. The findings reveal that the level of health literacy in Turkey has shown significant improvement compared to 2017. The rate of adequate and excellent health literacy, which stood at 31.1% in 2017, rose to 46.1% in 2023. However, 53.9% of the population (21.0% inadequate; 32.9% problematic-limited) still has low levels of health literacy. A strong inverse relationship has been identified between health literacy and age. While the rate of those with adequate and excellent health literacy is 54.1% in the 18–24 age group, this rate drops to 22.7% among individuals aged 65 and older; the rate of inadequacy in this group is 52.2%, which is approximately 4.7 times higher than among younger individuals. Educational level emerges as the strongest determinant of health literacy. While the rate of insufficient health literacy is 6.9% among college graduates, it is 41.6% among individuals with a primary school education or less. Regional disparities are striking: the Mediterranean (35.7%) and Northeast Anatolia (33.9%) regions have the highest rates of health literacy deficiency. In particular, the Northeast Anatolia Region exhibits the highest rate of health literacy deficiency—48.7%—in the areas of disease prevention and health promotion. The deprivation rate is 37.6% among individuals with low income, while it is 8.6% among those with sufficient income. The study emphasizes the need to develop targeted health communication policies aimed at the elderly, the low-educated, disadvantaged regions, and low-income groups.</jats:p>