Educational attainment rate, completed primary … primary both in Botswana
Botswana: Educational attainment rate, completed primary … primary both was 81.2% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
81.2%
Change on year
down 9.0%
World rank
97th
of 137 countries
All-time high
89.3%
in 2021
All-time low
5.2%
in 1971
Years of data
7
1971–2023
Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Botswana, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Botswana recorded 81.2% for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in 2023.
That represents a change of down 9.0% on the previous year and up 36.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Botswana peaked at 89.3% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 5.2%, in 1971.
Botswana ranks 97th of 137 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Educational attainment rate, completed primary … primary both in Botswana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 5.2% | — |
| 2006 | 86.5% | +1563.3% |
| 2009 | 59.7% | -31.0% |
| 2019 | 88.1% | +47.6% |
| 2020 | 81.4% | -7.6% |
| 2021 | 89.3% | +9.7% |
| 2023 | 81.2% | -9.0% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 81.2% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 90.3%, 90% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 81.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 47.2%, 1.7× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.2% | 5.2% | 5.2% | 1 |
| 2000s | 73.1% | 59.7% | 86.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 88.1% | 88.1% | 88.1% | 1 |
| 2020s | 83.9% | 81.2% | 89.3% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More education data for Botswana
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 88.56 (2014)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.46 (2022)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 15,284 (2021)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 9,590 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 20,760 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 20,779 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 175,513 (2021)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 381,674 (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 4.49 % change on previous year (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Botswana?
- Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Botswana was 81.2% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 89.3% in 2021.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.2% in 1971.
- How does Botswana rank for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher?
- Botswana ranks 97th out of 137 countries with data for 2023.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.2%. 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, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher, population 25+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release