Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Türkiye
Türkiye: Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP was 0.6% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Türkiye, 1978–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Türkiye stood at 0.6%. That is the lowest value across all 29 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 10.1% on the previous year and down 38.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Türkiye peaked at 2.0% in 1978 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2022.
That places Türkiye 148th out of 162 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Türkiye, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 2.0% | — |
| 1979 | 1.4% | -28.5% |
| 1981 | 0.9% | -32.7% |
| 1982 | 0.7% | -24.9% |
| 1983 | 1.1% | +55.4% |
| 1984 | 0.9% | -15.4% |
| 1985 | 0.8% | -15.4% |
| 1986 | 0.7% | -11.5% |
| 1987 | 0.7% | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 0.8% | +11.0% |
| 1989 | 0.7% | -4.4% |
| 1990 | 1.2% | +67.5% |
| 1991 | 1.4% | +12.2% |
| 1992 | 1.6% | +16.6% |
| 1993 | 1.7% | +4.9% |
| 1994 | 1.4% | -14.4% |
| 1995 | 1.0% | -32.8% |
| 2011 | 1.0% | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | -2.9% |
| 2013 | 0.9% | -8.5% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 0.8% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 0.8% | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 0.7% | -14.1% |
| 2018 | 0.7% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 0.8% | +15.2% |
| 2020 | 0.7% | -13.5% |
| 2021 | 0.6% | -10.7% |
| 2022 | 0.6% | -10.1% |
Türkiye compared with similar countries
- Türkiye's 0.6% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.4%, 42% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Türkiye's 0.6% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.1%, 51% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.7% | 1.4% | 2.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 1.1% | 9 |
| 1990s | 1.4% | 1.0% | 1.7% | 6 |
| 2010s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 9 |
| 2020s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Türkiye
- 145 Antigua and Barbuda 0.6% compare
- 146 Qatar 0.6% compare
- 147 Central African Republic 0.6% compare
- 149 Azerbaijan 0.6%
- 150 Turks and Caicos Islands 0.6% compare
- 151 Singapore 0.5% compare
More education data for Türkiye
- 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 government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Türkiye?
- Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Türkiye was 0.6% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Türkiye?
- The highest recorded value was 2.0% in 1978.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Türkiye?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2022.
- How does Türkiye rank for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Türkiye ranks 148th out of 162 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Türkiye?
- Over the last ten years it is down 38.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Türkiye data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release