South Africa vs Türkiye: School age population, one year before the official primary entry
South Africa
1.12 million
in 2025
Türkiye
1.22 million
in 2025
South Africa rank
25th
Türkiye rank
22nd
School age population, one year before the official primary entry over time
- South Africa
- Türkiye
How they compare
Türkiye currently reports 1.22 million against 1.12 million in South Africa, a difference of 100,470.
That makes Türkiye's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.
Across all 56 years both countries report, Türkiye has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 25th and Türkiye ranks 22nd of 222 countries.
Türkiye has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Türkiye | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 737,505 | 1.14 million | 401,015 | Türkiye |
| 1980s | 944,458 | 1.30 million | 356,514 | Türkiye |
| 1990s | 1.14 million | 1.35 million | 205,130 | Türkiye |
| 2000s | 1.01 million | 1.26 million | 249,905 | Türkiye |
| 2010s | 1.07 million | 1.25 million | 181,422 | Türkiye |
| 2020s | 1.06 million | 1.30 million | 234,225 | Türkiye |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher school age population, one year before the official primary entry, South Africa or Türkiye?
- Türkiye, at 1.22 million against 1.12 million in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in school age population, one year before the official primary entry between South Africa and Türkiye?
- 100,470, with Türkiye ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Türkiye?
- 56 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do South Africa and Türkiye rank globally for school age population, one year before the official primary entry?
- South Africa ranks 25th and Türkiye ranks 22nd of 222 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as School age population, one year before the official primary entry age, both sexes (number). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release