South Africa vs Türkiye: Primary education, pupils

South Africa
7.52 million
in 2023
Türkiye
5.54 million
in 2023
South Africa rank
21st
Türkiye rank
24th

Primary education, pupils over time

  • South Africa
  • Türkiye
02.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M197019962023

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 7.52 million against 5.54 million in Türkiye, a difference of 1.99 million.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.4 times Türkiye's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 40 shared years of data; in 1975 it was Türkiye ahead.

South Africa ranks 21st and Türkiye ranks 24th of 206 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 4 and Türkiye in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade South Africa Türkiye Difference Ahead
1970s 4.34 million 5.48 million 1.13 million Türkiye
1980s 5.06 million 6.42 million 1.35 million Türkiye
1990s 7.72 million 6.61 million 1.11 million South Africa
2000s 7.35 million 6.67 million 677,097 South Africa
2010s 7.31 million 5.70 million 1.62 million South Africa
2020s 7.64 million 5.39 million 2.25 million South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher primary education, pupils, South Africa or Türkiye?
South Africa, at 7.52 million against 5.54 million in Türkiye as of 2023.
What is the difference in primary education, pupils between South Africa and Türkiye?
1.99 million, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Türkiye?
40 years are reported by both, from 1975 to 2023.
How do South Africa and Türkiye rank globally for primary education, pupils?
South Africa ranks 21st and Türkiye ranks 24th of 206 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as Primary education, pupils. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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South Africa vs Türkiye: Primary education, pupils. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/compare/primary-education-pupils/south-africa/turkiye/

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About this data

Indicator
Primary education, pupils
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
251 places, 11,297 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Primary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.