School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Turkey
Turkey: School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) was 4.1 years in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
4.1 years
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
197th
of 218 countries
All-time high
5.39 years
in 2002
All-time low
3.91 years
in 2017
Years of data
50
1971–2023
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Turkey, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Turkey recorded 4.1 years for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in 2023.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Turkey peaked at 5.39 years in 2002 and was at its lowest, 3.91 years, in 2017.
Turkey ranks 197th of 218 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 50 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years) (School both) in Turkey, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 4.89 years | — |
| 1972 | 4.86 years | -0.7% |
| 1973 | 4.9 years | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 4.98 years | +1.7% |
| 1975 | 4.9 years | -1.7% |
| 1976 | 4.95 years | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 4.94 years | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 4.82 years | -2.4% |
| 1979 | 4.83 years | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 4.74 years | -1.9% |
| 1982 | 4.85 years | +2.4% |
| 1983 | 4.95 years | +1.9% |
| 1984 | 5.26 years | +6.4% |
| 1985 | 5.23 years | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 5.24 years | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 5.21 years | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 5.26 years | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 5.1 years | -3.0% |
| 1990 | 5.12 years | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 5.1 years | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 5.09 years | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 4.95 years | -2.8% |
| 1994 | 4.8 years | -3.0% |
| 1995 | 4.75 years | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 4.77 years | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 5.03 years | +5.4% |
| 2000 | 5.27 years | +4.8% |
| 2001 | 5.36 years | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 5.39 years | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 5.22 years | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 5.22 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 5.24 years | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 5.25 years | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 5.28 years | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 5.16 years | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 5.09 years | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 5.22 years | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 5.26 years | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 5.22 years | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 4.57 years | -12.5% |
| 2014 | 4.47 years | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 4.3 years | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 4.22 years | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 3.91 years | -7.3% |
| 2018 | 4.04 years | +3.4% |
| 2019 | 4.15 years | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 4.13 years | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 4.11 years | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 4.11 years | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 4.1 years | -0.2% |
Turkey compared with similar countries
- Turkey's 4.1 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.84 years, 70% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Turkey's 4.1 years is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 5.14 years, 80% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.9 years | 4.82 years | 4.98 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 5.09 years | 4.74 years | 5.26 years | 9 |
| 1990s | 4.95 years | 4.75 years | 5.12 years | 8 |
| 2000s | 5.24 years | 5.09 years | 5.39 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.54 years | 3.91 years | 5.26 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.11 years | 4.1 years | 4.13 years | 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 school life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Turkey?
- School life expectancy, primary, both sexes in Turkey was 4.1 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Turkey?
- The highest recorded value was 5.39 years in 2002.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary, both sexes recorded in Turkey?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.91 years in 2017.
- How does Turkey rank for school life expectancy, primary, both sexes?
- Turkey ranks 197th out of 218 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, primary, both sexes rising or falling in Turkey?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.2%. 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 life expectancy, primary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 50 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release