Primary education, teachers in Turkey

Turkey: Primary education, teachers was 299,967 in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
299,967
Change on year
down 3.4%
World rank
20th
of 204 countries
All-time high
319,369
in 2012
All-time low
132,577
in 1971
Years of data
36
1971–2023

Primary education, teachers in Turkey, 1971–2023

0100.0k200.0k300.0k1971199720231971: 132.6k1972: 141.2k1973: 158.3k1974: 156.5k1975: 160.3k1976: 171.0k1977: 182.3k1978: 184.1k1979: 187.0k1981: 212.5k1982: 212.8k1983: 211.5k1984: 208.9k1985: 209.4k1986: 212.7k1987: 216.9k1988: 220.9k1989: 220.9k1990: 224.7k1991: 225.9k1992: 235.0k1993: 235.7k1994: 237.9k1995: 233.1k2012: 319.4k2013: 282.0k2014: 288.4k2015: 295.3k2016: 303.0k2017: 292.9k2018: 297.2k2019: 300.7k2020: 309.2k2021: 306.9k2022: 310.5k2023: 300.0k

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Analysis

Turkey recorded 299,967 for primary education, teachers in 2023.

That represents a change of down 3.4% on the previous year and up 6.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, primary education, teachers in Turkey peaked at 319,369 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 132,577, in 1971.

That places Turkey 20th out of 204 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.

Primary education, teachers in Turkey, year by year

Annual values for Primary education, teachers in Turkey, 1971 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1971 132,577
1972 141,219 +6.5%
1973 158,299 +12.1%
1974 156,476 -1.2%
1975 160,271 +2.4%
1976 171,032 +6.7%
1977 182,314 +6.6%
1978 184,123 +1.0%
1979 187,027 +1.6%
1981 212,456 +13.6%
1982 212,795 +0.2%
1983 211,461 -0.6%
1984 208,891 -1.2%
1985 209,395 +0.2%
1986 212,717 +1.6%
1987 216,859 +1.9%
1988 220,943 +1.9%
1989 220,947 +0.0%
1990 224,672 +1.7%
1991 225,852 +0.5%
1992 234,961 +4.0%
1993 235,721 +0.3%
1994 237,943 +0.9%
1995 233,073 -2.0%
2012 319,369 +37.0%
2013 282,043 -11.7%
2014 288,444 +2.3%
2015 295,252 +2.4%
2016 302,961 +2.6%
2017 292,878 -3.3%
2018 297,176 +1.5%
2019 300,732 +1.2%
2020 309,247 +2.8%
2021 306,937 -0.7%
2022 310,477 +1.2%
2023 299,967 -3.4%

Turkey compared with similar countries

  • Turkey's 299,967 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 24,978, 12.0× the median. (57 countries reporting)
  • Turkey's 299,967 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 31,624, 9.5× the median. (52 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Primary education, teachers in Turkey changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2012 +37.0% 233,073 319,369

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 163,704 132,577 187,027 9
1980s 214,052 208,891 220,947 9
1990s 232,037 224,672 237,943 6
2010s 297,357 282,043 319,369 8
2020s 306,657 299,967 310,477 4

Countries ranked near Turkey

  1. 17 Ethiopia 338,716 compare
  2. 18 Russia 327,102 compare
  3. 19 Thailand 305,368 compare
  4. 21 Argentina 288,776 compare
  5. 22 South Africa 287,310 compare
  6. 23 Iraq 286,890 compare

See the full ranking of 249 places →

More education data for Turkey

All data for Turkey →

Frequently asked questions

What is primary education, teachers in Turkey?
Primary education, teachers in Turkey was 299,967 in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest primary education, teachers recorded in Turkey?
The highest recorded value was 319,369 in 2012.
What is the lowest primary education, teachers recorded in Turkey?
The lowest recorded value was 132,577 in 1971.
How does Turkey rank for primary education, teachers?
Turkey ranks 20th out of 204 countries with data for 2023.
Is primary education, teachers rising or falling in Turkey?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
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, teachers. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Primary education, teachers in Turkey. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/primary-education-teachers/turkiye/

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About this data

Indicator
Primary education, teachers
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
249 places, 9,469 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Primary education, teachers refers to the total number of teachers at primary level, including full-time and part-time teachers.