School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) in Turkey
Turkey: School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) was 5.23 million in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
5.23 million
Change on year
down 2.0%
World rank
28th
of 222 countries
All-time high
6.82 million
in 1995
All-time low
4.88 million
in 2013
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, primary education, both sexes in Turkey, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, school age population, primary education, both sexes in Turkey stood at 5.23 million.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.0% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, both sexes in Turkey peaked at 6.82 million in 1995 and was at its lowest, 4.88 million, in 2013.
That places Turkey 28th out of 222 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) in Turkey, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4.98 million | — |
| 1971 | 5.12 million | +2.8% |
| 1972 | 5.25 million | +2.4% |
| 1973 | 5.35 million | +2.0% |
| 1974 | 5.44 million | +1.5% |
| 1975 | 5.49 million | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 5.52 million | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 5.57 million | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 5.66 million | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 5.77 million | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 5.88 million | +2.0% |
| 1981 | 5.97 million | +1.5% |
| 1982 | 6.04 million | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 6.11 million | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 6.17 million | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 6.26 million | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 6.37 million | +1.8% |
| 1987 | 6.48 million | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 6.59 million | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 6.67 million | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 6.72 million | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 6.74 million | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 6.77 million | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 6.78 million | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 6.80 million | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 6.82 million | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 6.78 million | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 6.69 million | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 6.61 million | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 6.54 million | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 6.23 million | -4.8% |
| 2001 | 6.25 million | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 6.27 million | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 6.31 million | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 6.35 million | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 6.38 million | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 6.39 million | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 6.42 million | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 6.57 million | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 6.47 million | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 6.35 million | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 6.22 million | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 6.14 million | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 4.88 million | -20.6% |
| 2014 | 4.98 million | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 5.06 million | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 5.09 million | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 5.10 million | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 5.06 million | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 5.07 million | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 5.11 million | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 5.19 million | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 5.30 million | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 5.40 million | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 5.34 million | -1.3% |
| 2025 | 5.23 million | -2.0% |
Turkey compared with similar countries
- Turkey's 5.23 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 510,283, 10.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Turkey's 5.23 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 432,642, 12.1× the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.41 million | 4.98 million | 5.77 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.25 million | 5.88 million | 6.67 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.72 million | 6.54 million | 6.82 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.36 million | 6.23 million | 6.57 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.39 million | 4.88 million | 6.35 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.26 million | 5.11 million | 5.40 million | 6 |
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 school age population, primary education, both sexes in Turkey?
- School age population, primary education, both sexes in Turkey was 5.23 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Turkey?
- The highest recorded value was 6.82 million in 1995.
- What is the lowest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Turkey?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.88 million in 2013.
- How does Turkey rank for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
- Turkey ranks 28th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Turkey?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Turkey data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release