Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Turkey
Turkey: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 99.4% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
99.4%
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
33rd
of 209 countries
All-time high
100.0%
in 2013
All-time low
0.0%
in 1820
Years of data
57
1820–2023
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Turkey, 1820–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Turkey recorded 99.4% for share of children in primary school age who are in school in 2023.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Turkey peaked at 100.0% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
Turkey ranks 33rd of 209 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Turkey, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0% | — |
| 1825 | 0.0% | +33.3% |
| 1830 | 0.1% | +25.0% |
| 1835 | 0.1% | +40.0% |
| 1840 | 0.1% | +28.6% |
| 1845 | 0.1% | +44.4% |
| 1850 | 0.2% | +30.8% |
| 1855 | 0.2% | +41.2% |
| 1860 | 0.3% | +33.3% |
| 1865 | 0.4% | +37.5% |
| 1870 | 0.6% | +36.4% |
| 1875 | 0.8% | +36.7% |
| 1880 | 1.1% | +35.4% |
| 1885 | 1.5% | +36.0% |
| 1890 | 2.0% | +35.8% |
| 1895 | 2.8% | +35.1% |
| 1900 | 3.7% | +35.0% |
| 1905 | 5.0% | +34.5% |
| 1910 | 6.7% | +34.0% |
| 1915 | 9.0% | +33.1% |
| 1920 | 11.8% | +32.1% |
| 1925 | 19.2% | +61.9% |
| 1930 | 21.7% | +13.1% |
| 1935 | 28.3% | +30.3% |
| 1940 | 35.5% | +25.7% |
| 1945 | 48.0% | +35.1% |
| 1950 | 57.5% | +19.8% |
| 1955 | 60.1% | +4.4% |
| 1960 | 54.3% | -9.6% |
| 1965 | 73.1% | +34.7% |
| 1970 | 79.7% | +8.9% |
| 1974 | 77.0% | -3.3% |
| 1975 | 78.2% | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 70.2% | -10.2% |
| 1985 | 89.4% | +27.3% |
| 1986 | 89.9% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 89.3% | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 90.7% | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 90.5% | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 92.3% | +2.0% |
| 1991 | 91.8% | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 92.2% | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 89.8% | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 88.6% | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 87.3% | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 88.3% | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 100.0% | +13.3% |
| 2014 | 99.7% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 98.7% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 98.2% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 99.3% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 99.8% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 99.8% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 99.7% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 99.4% | -0.3% |
Turkey compared with similar countries
- Turkey's 99.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 96.0%, 1.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Turkey's 99.4% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 98.6%, 1.0× the median. (51 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 2 |
| 1880s | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.5% | 2 |
| 1890s | 2.4% | 2.0% | 2.8% | 2 |
| 1900s | 4.4% | 3.7% | 5.0% | 2 |
| 1910s | 7.9% | 6.7% | 9.0% | 2 |
| 1920s | 15.5% | 11.8% | 19.2% | 2 |
| 1930s | 25.0% | 21.7% | 28.3% | 2 |
| 1940s | 41.8% | 35.5% | 48.0% | 2 |
| 1950s | 58.8% | 57.5% | 60.1% | 2 |
| 1960s | 63.7% | 54.3% | 73.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 78.3% | 77.0% | 79.7% | 3 |
| 1980s | 86.7% | 70.2% | 90.7% | 6 |
| 1990s | 90.0% | 87.3% | 92.3% | 7 |
| 2010s | 99.3% | 98.2% | 100.0% | 7 |
| 2020s | 99.7% | 99.4% | 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 share of children in primary school age who are in school in Turkey?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Turkey was 99.4% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Turkey?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 2013.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Turkey?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Turkey rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Turkey ranks 33rd out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Turkey?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.