Secondary education, pupils in Turkey

Turkey: Secondary education, pupils was 12.31 million in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
12.31 million
Change on year
up 4.0%
World rank
10th
of 206 countries
All-time high
12.31 million
in 2023
All-time low
1.31 million
in 1971
Years of data
49
1971–2023

Secondary education, pupils in Turkey, 1971–2023

2.5M5.0M7.5M10.0M12.5M197119972023

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Analysis

Turkey recorded 12.31 million for secondary education, pupils in 2023. That is the highest value across all 49 years on record.

That represents a change of up 4.0% on the previous year and up 16.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, secondary education, pupils in Turkey peaked at 12.31 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.31 million, in 1971.

Turkey ranks 10th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Secondary education, pupils in Turkey, year by year

Annual values for Secondary education, pupils in Turkey, 1971 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1971 1.31 million
1972 1.43 million +9.2%
1973 1.49 million +4.2%
1974 1.52 million +1.8%
1976 1.75 million +15.1%
1977 1.89 million +8.1%
1978 2.03 million +7.5%
1979 2.07 million +2.3%
1980 2.23 million +7.3%
1981 2.22 million -0.3%
1982 2.31 million +4.2%
1983 2.39 million +3.6%
1984 2.54 million +6.1%
1986 2.93 million +15.2%
1987 3.09 million +5.5%
1988 3.29 million +6.5%
1989 3.51 million +6.8%
1990 3.62 million +3.1%
1991 3.81 million +5.2%
1992 3.99 million +4.7%
1993 4.30 million +7.8%
1994 4.48 million +4.1%
1995 4.73 million +5.6%
1997 4.76 million +0.7%
1999 5.52 million +16.0%
2000 5.66 million +2.5%
2001 6.42 million +13.4%
2002 6.74 million +4.9%
2003 6.85 million +1.7%
2004 6.59 million -3.9%
2005 6.35 million -3.7%
2006 6.63 million +4.5%
2007 6.82 million +2.9%
2008 6.71 million -1.7%
2009 7.10 million +5.8%
2010 7.53 million +6.1%
2011 7.97 million +5.8%
2012 7.76 million -2.6%
2013 10.56 million +36.2%
2014 10.90 million +3.2%
2015 10.97 million +0.6%
2016 11.02 million +0.5%
2017 11.40 million +3.5%
2018 11.28 million -1.1%
2019 11.28 million -0.0%
2020 11.33 million +0.5%
2021 11.53 million +1.8%
2022 11.84 million +2.6%
2023 12.31 million +4.0%

Turkey compared with similar countries

  • Turkey's 12.31 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 524,692, 23.5× the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • Turkey's 12.31 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 543,350, 22.7× the median. (53 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Secondary education, pupils 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.

YearChange FromTo
2013 +36.2% 7.76 million 10.56 million

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.69 million 1.31 million 2.07 million 8
1980s 2.72 million 2.22 million 3.51 million 9
1990s 4.40 million 3.62 million 5.52 million 8
2000s 6.59 million 5.66 million 7.10 million 10
2010s 10.07 million 7.53 million 11.40 million 10
2020s 11.75 million 11.33 million 12.31 million 4

Countries ranked near Turkey

  1. 7 Nigeria 15.20 million compare
  2. 8 Bangladesh 15.07 million compare
  3. 9 Mexico 13.99 million compare
  4. 11 Philippines 11.87 million compare
  5. 12 Egypt 11.56 million compare
  6. 13 Russia 10.80 million compare

See the full ranking of 251 places →

More education data for Turkey

All data for Turkey →

Frequently asked questions

What is secondary education, pupils in Turkey?
Secondary education, pupils in Turkey was 12.31 million in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest secondary education, pupils recorded in Turkey?
The highest recorded value was 12.31 million in 2023.
What is the lowest secondary education, pupils recorded in Turkey?
The lowest recorded value was 1.31 million in 1971.
How does Turkey rank for secondary education, pupils?
Turkey ranks 10th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
Is secondary education, pupils rising or falling in Turkey?
Over the last ten years it is up 16.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Turkey data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Secondary education, pupils. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Secondary education, pupils in Turkey. Statizoid, drawing on Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/secondary-education-pupils/turkiye/

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About this data

Indicator
Secondary education, pupils
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
251 places, 10,025 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Secondary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at secondary level in public and private schools.