Education Expenditures in Turkey Nearly Doubled in 2023

Education expenditures in Turkey in 2023 increased by 92.5% compared to the previous year, reaching 1 trillion 130 billion 844 million TL. The largest increase in education spending occurred at the primary and preschool education levels.

According to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), the share of education expenditures in GDP was determined to be 4.3% in 2023, compared to 3.9% the previous year. The share of government education expenditures in GDP also rose from 3.1% in 2022 to 3.6% in 2023.

Investments in higher education increased. The largest share of expenditures by public educational institutions was allocated to higher education. When evaluated according to service providers, 34.4% of the government's education expenditures were directed to higher education, while 21.4% was allocated to secondary education.

Private educational institutions also directed a significant portion of their expenditures to higher education, with a share of 41.4%, making it the top priority. The share of expenditures for secondary education was recorded at 32.2%. The increase in both educational institutions' investments in higher education drew attention.

In 2023, 83.5% of education expenditures in Turkey were financed by the government. Among these expenditures, the share of households was 7.9%. While the government's financial support for education remained high, expenditures per student also showed significant growth.

Expenditure per student increased from 25,143 TL in 2022 to 49,045 TL in 2023. The level of education with the highest per-student expenditure was higher education, which stood out at 84,759 TL.

Per-student expenditures in secondary education reached their peak. Total education expenditures per student increased by 95.1% compared to the previous year. The education level with the largest increase was secondary education, with a rise of 110.5%, followed by preschool education with an increase of 106.5%.

In light of these data, it is evident that education expenditures in Turkey showed a significant increase in 2023, and this growth had an impact across various levels. This growth in the education sector is seen as an important step towards improving education quality and increasing expenditures per student.