Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Botswana
Botswana: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 88.6% in 2014. ▲ Rising
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Botswana, 1970–2014
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2014, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Botswana stood at 88.6%.
That represents a change of down 1.6% on the previous year and down 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Botswana peaked at 95.8% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 51.4%, in 1971.
That places Botswana 136th out of 190 countries with data for 2014, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Botswana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 54.0% | — |
| 1971 | 51.4% | -4.8% |
| 1972 | 53.6% | +4.3% |
| 1973 | 57.6% | +7.4% |
| 1974 | 62.3% | +8.2% |
| 1975 | 70.3% | +12.8% |
| 1976 | 75.4% | +7.4% |
| 1977 | 80.2% | +6.4% |
| 1978 | 81.2% | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 82.0% | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 86.0% | +4.9% |
| 1981 | 91.6% | +6.5% |
| 1983 | 94.8% | +3.5% |
| 1984 | 94.4% | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 95.8% | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 95.0% | -0.8% |
| 1987 | 94.4% | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 94.1% | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 94.2% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 93.6% | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 95.6% | +2.1% |
| 1992 | 93.7% | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 92.1% | -1.7% |
| 1994 | 91.3% | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 81.8% | -10.5% |
| 1996 | 82.2% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 85.4% | +3.9% |
| 1999 | 84.6% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 85.7% | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 87.4% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 87.7% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 88.6% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 88.6% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 91.1% | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 91.9% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 90.9% | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 90.2% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 89.7% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 91.9% | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 90.0% | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 88.6% | -1.6% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 88.6% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 94.1%, 94% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 88.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 86.4%, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 66.8% | 51.4% | 82.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 93.4% | 86.0% | 95.8% | 9 |
| 1990s | 88.9% | 81.8% | 95.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 89.2% | 85.7% | 91.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 90.1% | 88.6% | 91.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More education data for Botswana
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1564 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Botswana?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Botswana was 88.6% in 2014, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 95.8% in 1985.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.4% in 1971.
- How does Botswana rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Botswana ranks 136th out of 190 countries with data for 2014.
- Is gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.1%. 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); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.