Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Botswana
Botswana: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes was 4.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Botswana, 2000–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Botswana is 4.8%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.
The figure is down 5.9% on the previous year and down 59.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Botswana peaked at 14.2% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 4.8%, in 2025.
Botswana ranks 99th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Botswana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 14.2% | — |
| 2001 | 13.6% | -4.2% |
| 2002 | 12.4% | -8.8% |
| 2003 | 11.3% | -8.9% |
| 2004 | 10.8% | -4.4% |
| 2005 | 11.0% | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 11.5% | +4.5% |
| 2007 | 12.1% | +5.2% |
| 2008 | 12.6% | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 12.9% | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 12.6% | -2.3% |
| 2011 | 12.2% | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 11.8% | -3.3% |
| 2013 | 11.8% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 12.0% | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 11.9% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 11.4% | -4.2% |
| 2017 | 10.7% | -6.1% |
| 2018 | 9.8% | -8.4% |
| 2019 | 8.8% | -10.2% |
| 2020 | 7.7% | -12.5% |
| 2021 | 6.9% | -10.4% |
| 2022 | 6.2% | -10.1% |
| 2023 | 5.6% | -9.7% |
| 2024 | 5.1% | -8.9% |
| 2025 | 4.8% | -5.9% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 4.8% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.4%, 1.4× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 4.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.5%, 29% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12.2% | 10.8% | 14.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.3% | 8.8% | 12.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.0% | 4.8% | 7.7% | 6 |
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 out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Botswana?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes in Botswana was 4.8% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 14.2% in 2000.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.8% in 2025.
- How does Botswana rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Botswana ranks 99th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 59.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, both sexes (modelled data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release