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Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Botswana

Botswana: Government spending on education as a share of GDP was 8.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
8.1%
Change on year
down 4.1%
World rank
8th
of 199 countries
All-time high
10.8%
in 2011
All-time low
3.3%
in 1973
Years of data
31
1971–2020

Government spending on education as a share of GDP in Botswana, 1971–2020

468101971199520201971: 4.4 % of GDP1972: 3.9 % of GDP1973: 3.3 % of GDP1974: 3.7 % of GDP1975: 5.6 % of GDP1976: 6.1 % of GDP1977: 5.4 % of GDP1978: 6 % of GDP1979: 6.1 % of GDP1980: 5.5 % of GDP1983: 5.6 % of GDP1984: 5.6 % of GDP1985: 5.7 % of GDP1986: 5.2 % of GDP1987: 6.1 % of GDP1988: 6.2 % of GDP1990: 5.7 % of GDP1992: 6.8 % of GDP2005: 10.7 % of GDP2007: 9 % of GDP2009: 9.8 % of GDP2011: 10.8 % of GDP2012: 8.1 % of GDP2013: 8 % of GDP2014: 7.9 % of GDP2015: 8.4 % of GDP2016: 8.7 % of GDP2017: 7.8 % of GDP2018: 7.9 % of GDP2019: 8.4 % of GDP2020: 8.1 % of GDP

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

Botswana recorded 8.1% for government spending on education as a share of gdp in 2020.

The figure is down 4.1% on the previous year and down 18.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending on education as a share of gdp in Botswana peaked at 10.8% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 3.3%, in 1973.

That places Botswana 8th out of 199 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 4.9% 3.3% 6.1% 9
1980s 5.7% 5.2% 6.2% 7
1990s 6.3% 5.7% 6.8% 2
2000s 9.9% 9.0% 10.7% 3
2010s 8.5% 7.8% 10.8% 9
2020s 8.1% 8.1% 8.1% 1

Countries ranked near Botswana

  1. 5 Algeria 9.0% compare
  2. 6 Cuba 8.4% compare
  3. 7 Solomon Islands 8.3% compare
  4. 9 Marshall Islands 7.7% compare
  5. 10 Vanuatu 7.6% compare
  6. 11 Mauritania 7.6% compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More education data for Botswana

All data for Botswana →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending on education as a share of gdp in Botswana?
Government spending on education as a share of gdp in Botswana was 8.1% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Botswana?
The highest recorded value was 10.8% in 2011.
What is the lowest government spending on education as a share of gdp recorded in Botswana?
The lowest recorded value was 3.3% in 1973.
How does Botswana rank for government spending on education as a share of gdp?
Botswana ranks 8th out of 199 countries with data for 2020.
Is government spending on education as a share of gdp rising or falling in Botswana?
Over the last ten years it is down 18.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Botswana 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 as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Government spending on education as a share of GDP
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, 5,187 data points, 1870–2025
Last refreshed

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