Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Turkey
Turkey: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 99.5% in 2017. ◆ Volatile
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Turkey, 1820–2017
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Turkey is 99.5%, measured in 2017.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and down 0.3% over five years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Turkey peaked at 99.8% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
That places Turkey 14th out of 190 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Turkey, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0% | — |
| 1825 | 0.0% | +100.0% |
| 1830 | 0.0% | +50.0% |
| 1835 | 0.0% | +33.3% |
| 1840 | 0.1% | +25.0% |
| 1845 | 0.1% | +40.0% |
| 1850 | 0.1% | +42.9% |
| 1855 | 0.1% | +40.0% |
| 1860 | 0.2% | +35.7% |
| 1865 | 0.3% | +42.1% |
| 1870 | 0.4% | +37.0% |
| 1875 | 0.5% | +40.5% |
| 1880 | 0.7% | +38.5% |
| 1885 | 1.0% | +37.5% |
| 1890 | 1.4% | +39.4% |
| 1895 | 1.9% | +38.4% |
| 1900 | 2.6% | +37.7% |
| 1905 | 3.6% | +38.0% |
| 1910 | 5.0% | +36.9% |
| 1915 | 6.8% | +36.6% |
| 1920 | 9.2% | +35.5% |
| 1925 | 15.1% | +64.2% |
| 1930 | 21.0% | +39.1% |
| 1935 | 26.9% | +28.1% |
| 1940 | 32.8% | +21.9% |
| 1945 | 38.8% | +18.0% |
| 1950 | 44.7% | +15.3% |
| 1955 | 46.6% | +4.5% |
| 1960 | 37.8% | -19.0% |
| 1965 | 74.7% | +97.6% |
| 1970 | 85.5% | +14.5% |
| 1974 | 71.8% | -16.1% |
| 1975 | 83.7% | +16.6% |
| 1980 | 84.6% | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 86.2% | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 85.0% | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 85.7% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 99.8% | +16.5% |
| 2015 | 98.8% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 98.4% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 99.5% | +1.1% |
Turkey compared with similar countries
- Turkey's 99.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 94.1%, 1.1× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Turkey's 99.5% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 98.2%, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.9% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 2 |
| 1890s | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1.9% | 2 |
| 1900s | 3.1% | 2.6% | 3.6% | 2 |
| 1910s | 5.9% | 5.0% | 6.8% | 2 |
| 1920s | 12.2% | 9.2% | 15.1% | 2 |
| 1930s | 24.0% | 21.0% | 26.9% | 2 |
| 1940s | 35.8% | 32.8% | 38.8% | 2 |
| 1950s | 45.7% | 44.7% | 46.6% | 2 |
| 1960s | 56.2% | 37.8% | 74.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 80.3% | 71.8% | 85.5% | 3 |
| 1980s | 84.6% | 84.6% | 84.6% | 1 |
| 1990s | 85.6% | 85.0% | 86.2% | 3 |
| 2010s | 99.1% | 98.4% | 99.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Turkey
More education data for Turkey
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 788,294 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 184,302 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.05 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 980,973 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 12.31 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.54 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.87 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0649 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Turkey?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Turkey was 99.5% in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Turkey?
- The highest recorded value was 99.8% in 2014.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Turkey?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Turkey rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Turkey ranks 14th out of 190 countries with data for 2017.
- Where does this Turkey data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.