Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Botswana
Botswana: Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 8.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Botswana, 1971–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Botswana recorded 8.1% for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.1% on the previous year and down 18.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Botswana peaked at 10.8% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 3.3%, in 1973.
Botswana ranks 8th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 31 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Botswana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 4.4% | — |
| 1972 | 3.9% | -11.0% |
| 1973 | 3.3% | -16.5% |
| 1974 | 3.7% | +12.6% |
| 1975 | 5.6% | +53.8% |
| 1976 | 6.1% | +7.3% |
| 1977 | 5.4% | -10.9% |
| 1978 | 6.0% | +10.2% |
| 1979 | 6.1% | +3.2% |
| 1980 | 5.5% | -10.9% |
| 1983 | 5.6% | +1.5% |
| 1984 | 5.6% | -0.0% |
| 1985 | 5.7% | +1.8% |
| 1986 | 5.2% | -8.2% |
| 1987 | 6.1% | +18.0% |
| 1988 | 6.2% | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 5.7% | -6.7% |
| 1992 | 6.8% | +19.2% |
| 2005 | 10.7% | +56.1% |
| 2007 | 9.0% | -15.3% |
| 2009 | 9.8% | +8.6% |
| 2011 | 10.8% | +10.2% |
| 2012 | 8.1% | -25.1% |
| 2013 | 8.0% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 7.9% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 8.4% | +6.4% |
| 2016 | 8.7% | +4.1% |
| 2017 | 7.8% | -10.6% |
| 2018 | 7.9% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 8.4% | +6.2% |
| 2020 | 8.1% | -4.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
- 5 Algeria 9.0% compare
- 6 Cuba 8.4% compare
- 7 Solomon Islands 8.3% compare
- 9 Marshall Islands 7.7% compare
- 10 Vanuatu 7.6% compare
- 11 Mauritania 7.6% compare
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 government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Botswana?
- Government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Botswana was 8.1% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 10.8% in 2011.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.3% in 1973.
- How does Botswana rank for government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Botswana ranks 8th out of 199 countries with data for 2020.
- Is government expenditure on education as a percentage 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, published as part of Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release