School-age population (primary level) in Turkey
Turkey: School-age population (primary level) was 5.23 million in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
5.23 million
Change on year
down 2.0%
World rank
7th
of 72 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 in Turkey, 1970–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
Turkey recorded 5.23 million for school-age population in 2025.
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 in Turkey peaked at 6.82 million in 1995 and was at its lowest, 4.88 million, in 2013.
That places Turkey 7th out of 72 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
School-age population (primary level) 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 587,924, 8.9× the median. (19 countries reporting)
- Turkey's 5.23 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 432,925, 12.1× the median. (52 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
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.5 (2017)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.4 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school-age population in Turkey?
- School-age population in Turkey was 5.23 million in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest school-age population recorded in Turkey?
- The highest recorded value was 6.82 million in 1995.
- What is the lowest school-age population recorded in Turkey?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.88 million in 2013.
- How does Turkey rank for school-age population?
- Turkey ranks 7th out of 72 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school-age population 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 UNICEF, published as part of School-age population (primary level). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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