Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Türkiye
Türkiye: Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education was 12 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
12
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
3rd
of 73 countries
All-time high
12
in 2012
All-time low
8
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Türkiye, 1998–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
In 2025, number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Türkiye stood at 12. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Türkiye peaked at 12 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 8, in 1998.
Türkiye ranks 3rd of 73 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Türkiye, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 8 | — |
| 1999 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 8 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 12 | +50.0% |
| 2013 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 12 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 12 | +0.0% |
Türkiye compared with similar countries
- Türkiye's 12 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 9, 1.3× the median. (19 countries reporting)
- Türkiye's 12 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10, 1.2× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8 | 8 | 8 | 2 |
| 2000s | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.2 | 8 | 12 | 10 |
| 2020s | 12 | 12 | 12 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Türkiye
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 number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Türkiye?
- Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education in Türkiye was 12 in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education recorded in Türkiye?
- The highest recorded value was 12 in 2012.
- What is the lowest number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education recorded in Türkiye?
- The lowest recorded value was 8 in 1998.
- How does Türkiye rank for number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education?
- Türkiye ranks 3rd out of 73 countries with data for 2025.
- Is number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education rising or falling in Türkiye?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Türkiye data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Number of years of compulsory primary and secondary education guaranteed in legal frameworks. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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