Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Turkey
Turkey: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 3.1% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Turkey, 1978–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2022, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Turkey stood at 3.1%.
That represents a change of down 12.5% on the previous year and down 29.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Turkey peaked at 4.6% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 1986.
Turkey ranks 146th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Turkey, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 4.3% | — |
| 1979 | 2.9% | -32.9% |
| 1981 | 2.2% | -24.2% |
| 1982 | 1.8% | -20.5% |
| 1983 | 2.6% | +50.9% |
| 1984 | 2.0% | -23.4% |
| 1985 | 1.7% | -14.3% |
| 1986 | 1.5% | -13.1% |
| 1993 | 3.4% | +122.9% |
| 1994 | 3.4% | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 2.3% | -34.3% |
| 2011 | 4.2% | +87.5% |
| 2012 | 4.4% | +3.9% |
| 2013 | 4.3% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 4.4% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 4.3% | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 4.6% | +7.5% |
| 2017 | 4.3% | -6.6% |
| 2018 | 4.3% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 4.4% | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 4.0% | -9.3% |
| 2021 | 3.5% | -12.3% |
| 2022 | 3.1% | -12.5% |
Turkey compared with similar countries
- Turkey's 3.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.2%, 73% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Turkey's 3.1% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.5%, 69% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending on education overall vs. primary education 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +122.9% | 1.5% | 3.4% |
| 2011 | +87.5% | 2.3% | 4.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.6% | 2.9% | 4.3% | 2 |
| 1980s | 2.0% | 1.5% | 2.6% | 6 |
| 1990s | 3.0% | 2.3% | 3.4% | 3 |
| 2010s | 4.4% | 4.2% | 4.6% | 9 |
| 2020s | 3.6% | 3.1% | 4.0% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Turkey
- 143 British Virgin Islands 3.2% compare
- 144 Tanzania 3.2% compare
- 145 Antigua and Barbuda 3.1% compare
- 147 Albania 3.1% compare
- 148 Guatemala 3.1% compare
- 149 Madagascar 3.0% compare
More reference data data for Turkey
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.815 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 10.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 22.31 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.72 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 22.31 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.73 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 53.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 103 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 9.35 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Turkey?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Turkey was 3.1% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Turkey?
- The highest recorded value was 4.6% in 2016.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Turkey?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 1986.
- How does Turkey rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Turkey ranks 146th out of 199 countries with data for 2022.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Turkey?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Turkey data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.