School-age population (upper secondary level) in Turkey
Turkey: School-age population (upper secondary level) was 5.16 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
5.16 million
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
2nd
of 72 countries
All-time high
5.30 million
in 2015
All-time low
2.35 million
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School-age population in Turkey, 1970–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
Turkey recorded 5.16 million for school-age population in 2025.
That represents a change of up 1.2% on the previous year and down 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school-age population in Turkey peaked at 5.30 million in 2015 and was at its lowest, 2.35 million, in 1970.
That places Turkey 2nd out of 72 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School-age population (upper secondary level) in Turkey, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2.35 million | — |
| 1971 | 2.43 million | +3.5% |
| 1972 | 2.50 million | +2.9% |
| 1973 | 2.56 million | +2.3% |
| 1974 | 2.61 million | +2.2% |
| 1975 | 2.69 million | +3.1% |
| 1976 | 2.81 million | +4.4% |
| 1977 | 2.91 million | +3.7% |
| 1978 | 2.98 million | +2.3% |
| 1979 | 3.02 million | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 3.04 million | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 3.11 million | +2.0% |
| 1982 | 3.16 million | +1.8% |
| 1983 | 3.23 million | +2.1% |
| 1984 | 3.30 million | +2.3% |
| 1985 | 3.37 million | +2.2% |
| 1986 | 3.45 million | +2.2% |
| 1987 | 3.51 million | +2.0% |
| 1988 | 3.57 million | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 3.62 million | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 3.64 million | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 3.68 million | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 3.72 million | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 3.80 million | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 3.88 million | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 3.95 million | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 4.00 million | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 4.01 million | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 4.01 million | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 3.99 million | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 3.86 million | -3.4% |
| 2001 | 3.80 million | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 3.75 million | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 3.73 million | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 3.72 million | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 3.73 million | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 3.73 million | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 3.74 million | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 3.71 million | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 5.01 million | +35.1% |
| 2010 | 5.04 million | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 5.09 million | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 5.14 million | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 5.16 million | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 5.25 million | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 5.30 million | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 5.29 million | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 5.18 million | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 5.05 million | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 4.96 million | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 4.91 million | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 4.95 million | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 5.07 million | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 5.06 million | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 5.10 million | +0.9% |
| 2025 | 5.16 million | +1.2% |
Turkey compared with similar countries
- Turkey's 5.16 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 266,405, 19.4× the median. (19 countries reporting)
- Turkey's 5.16 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 242,738, 21.3× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School-age population (upper secondary level) 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | +35.1% | 3.71 million | 5.01 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.69 million | 2.35 million | 3.02 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.34 million | 3.04 million | 3.62 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.87 million | 3.64 million | 4.01 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.88 million | 3.71 million | 5.01 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.15 million | 4.96 million | 5.30 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.04 million | 4.91 million | 5.16 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 5.16 million in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest school-age population recorded in Turkey?
- The highest recorded value was 5.30 million in 2015.
- What is the lowest school-age population recorded in Turkey?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.35 million in 1970.
- How does Turkey rank for school-age population?
- Turkey ranks 2nd out of 72 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school-age population rising or falling in Turkey?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Turkey data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of School-age population (upper secondary level). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).