Education in Turkey - statistics & facts

The modern education system in Turkey has its origins in the "Law on the Organization of Education", adopted on March 2, 1926, after the foundation of the Turkish Republic. Since then, the education and school policies have changed multiple times, taking the current form in 2012 with the 4+4+4 structure. The new education system contains four years of primary education, four years of lower secondary, and four years of upper secondary education for school children. In 2021, the total volume of expenditure on education surpassed 344 billion Turkish lira. In the same year, total education spending accounted for nearly five percent of Turkey’s gross domestic product (GDP), the lowest value recorded since 2011.

Eight years of compulsory education

Even though preschool education is not compulsory in Turkey, the number of pupils enrolled in pre-primary schools generally increased in the country, reaching nearly 1.9 million as of the academic year 2021/22. After implementing the new education system, the minimum age for starting primary school education for Turkish children became five years old. In 2022, the primary school completion rate among children was over 98 percent for both girls and boys. When it comes to the lower secondary school completion rate, the figures went down to an average of 96.4 percent. After finishing the eighth grade, students continue with ninth grade in either general upper secondary schools(lyceum) or vocational and technical education institutions, depending on their High School Entrance Exam (LGS) scores.

Higher education

Universities in Turkey generally offer associate degrees (an undergraduate degree program that lasts two to three years), bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and doctorate degrees. In the academic year 2021/22, approximately 8.3 million students enrolled in a higher education program, more than half of whom were pursuing bachelor’s degrees. The popularity of higher education institutions also increased among foreigners, since more than 260 thousand international students enrolled in an academic program in 2021. However, studying at a higher education institution was not accessible or affordable for some anymore; tertiary education spending has been trending upward for students in recent years, reaching 28.6 thousand Turkish lira per student in 2021.

Public opinion on the education system

The Turkish government and Ministry of Education have been striving to improve the education standards for its citizens for decades. However, many persistent problems and the constant change in education policies and exam procedures over the years have been criticized by many families, students, teachers, and scholars. In a recent survey, high schools and public universities were rated as the most problematic educational institutions by many Turkish people. Additionally, the majority of the surveyed people expressed their concern about the declining quality of universities in the country.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Zeynep Dierks, Jan 31, 2023

Key insights

Total current expenditure of public tertiary education institutions
78.22bn TRY
Average education expenditure per student
15.5k TRY
Share of government spending on education
72.5 %
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Volume of total education expenditure per student in Turkey from 2011 to 2021 (in thousand Turkish lira)

Education & Science

Volume of education expenditure per student in Turkey 2011-2021

Number of primary schools in Turkey from 2015/16 to 2021/22, by type of school

Education Level & Skills

Number of primary schools in Turkey 2015-2022, by type of school

Number of participants in public non-formal education institutions in Turkey in the academic year of 2021/2022, by type of institution

Educational Institutions & Market

Number of participants in public non-formal education in Turkey 2021/2022, by type

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