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

Latest (2022)
3.1%
Change on year
down 12.5%
World rank
146th
of 199 countries
All-time high
4.6%
in 2016
All-time low
1.5%
in 1986
Years of data
23
1978–2022

Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Turkey, 1978–2022

23451978200020221978: 4.3 % of GDP1979: 2.9 % of GDP1981: 2.2 % of GDP1982: 1.8 % of GDP1983: 2.6 % of GDP1984: 2 % of GDP1985: 1.7 % of GDP1986: 1.5 % of GDP1993: 3.4 % of GDP1994: 3.4 % of GDP1995: 2.3 % of GDP2011: 4.2 % of GDP2012: 4.4 % of GDP2013: 4.3 % of GDP2014: 4.4 % of GDP2015: 4.3 % of GDP2016: 4.6 % of GDP2017: 4.3 % of GDP2018: 4.3 % of GDP2019: 4.4 % of GDP2020: 4 % of GDP2021: 3.5 % of GDP2022: 3.1 % of GDP

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 143 British Virgin Islands 3.2% compare
  2. 144 Tanzania 3.2% compare
  3. 145 Antigua and Barbuda 3.1% compare
  4. 147 Albania 3.1% compare
  5. 148 Guatemala 3.1% compare
  6. 149 Madagascar 3.0% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More reference data data for Turkey

All data for Turkey →

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

Indicator
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education
Unit
% of GDP
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 5,140 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.