Primary education, pupils in Turkey
Turkey: Primary education, pupils was 5.54 million in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
5.54 million
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
24th
of 206 countries
All-time high
6.88 million
in 1988
All-time low
4.97 million
in 2017
Years of data
50
1971–2023
Primary education, pupils in Turkey, 1971–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
Turkey recorded 5.54 million for primary education, pupils in 2023.
The figure is up 1.9% on the previous year and down 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in Turkey peaked at 6.88 million in 1988 and was at its lowest, 4.97 million, in 2017.
That places Turkey 24th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
Primary education, pupils in Turkey, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 5.01 million | — |
| 1972 | 5.10 million | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 5.24 million | +2.8% |
| 1974 | 5.32 million | +1.5% |
| 1975 | 5.38 million | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 5.46 million | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 5.50 million | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 5.45 million | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 5.57 million | +2.1% |
| 1981 | 5.66 million | +1.5% |
| 1982 | 5.86 million | +3.6% |
| 1983 | 6.04 million | +3.0% |
| 1984 | 6.50 million | +7.6% |
| 1985 | 6.52 million | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 6.64 million | +1.7% |
| 1987 | 6.70 million | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 6.88 million | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 6.77 million | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 6.85 million | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 6.86 million | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 6.88 million | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 6.71 million | -2.5% |
| 1994 | 6.53 million | -2.7% |
| 1995 | 6.47 million | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 6.39 million | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 6.58 million | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 6.56 million | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 6.69 million | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 6.76 million | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 6.58 million | -2.7% |
| 2004 | 6.62 million | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 6.68 million | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 6.71 million | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 6.77 million | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 6.76 million | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 6.59 million | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 6.64 million | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 6.58 million | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 6.43 million | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 5.59 million | -13.0% |
| 2014 | 5.57 million | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 5.43 million | -2.5% |
| 2016 | 5.36 million | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 4.97 million | -7.2% |
| 2018 | 5.10 million | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 5.27 million | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 5.28 million | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 5.33 million | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 5.43 million | +2.0% |
| 2023 | 5.54 million | +1.9% |
Turkey compared with similar countries
- Turkey's 5.54 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 519,452, 10.7× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Turkey's 5.54 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 432,238, 12.8× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.34 million | 5.01 million | 5.57 million | 9 |
| 1980s | 6.40 million | 5.66 million | 6.88 million | 9 |
| 1990s | 6.66 million | 6.39 million | 6.88 million | 8 |
| 2000s | 6.67 million | 6.56 million | 6.77 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.70 million | 4.97 million | 6.64 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.39 million | 5.28 million | 5.54 million | 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 primary education, pupils in Turkey?
- Primary education, pupils in Turkey was 5.54 million in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, pupils recorded in Turkey?
- The highest recorded value was 6.88 million in 1988.
- What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in Turkey?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.97 million in 2017.
- How does Turkey rank for primary education, pupils?
- Turkey ranks 24th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is primary education, pupils rising or falling in Turkey?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Turkey data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, pupils. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Primary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.