School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number) in Botswana
Botswana: School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number) was 146,674 in 2025. ▲ Rising
School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Botswana, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Botswana recorded 146,674 for school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Botswana peaked at 149,132 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 27,346, in 1970.
That places Botswana 141st out of 220 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number) in Botswana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 27,346 | — |
| 1971 | 27,984 | +2.3% |
| 1972 | 29,519 | +5.5% |
| 1973 | 32,930 | +11.6% |
| 1974 | 34,541 | +4.9% |
| 1975 | 35,956 | +4.1% |
| 1976 | 37,331 | +3.8% |
| 1977 | 38,794 | +3.9% |
| 1978 | 40,363 | +4.0% |
| 1979 | 42,255 | +4.7% |
| 1980 | 43,923 | +3.9% |
| 1981 | 43,630 | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 45,103 | +3.4% |
| 1983 | 46,607 | +3.3% |
| 1984 | 48,336 | +3.7% |
| 1985 | 50,215 | +3.9% |
| 1986 | 76,340 | +52.0% |
| 1987 | 78,832 | +3.3% |
| 1988 | 81,908 | +3.9% |
| 1989 | 58,737 | -28.3% |
| 1990 | 61,626 | +4.9% |
| 1991 | 64,243 | +4.2% |
| 1992 | 66,570 | +3.6% |
| 1993 | 69,876 | +5.0% |
| 1994 | 74,689 | +6.9% |
| 1995 | 80,098 | +7.2% |
| 1996 | 81,766 | +2.1% |
| 1997 | 83,126 | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 125,927 | +51.5% |
| 1999 | 128,243 | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 130,637 | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 132,210 | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 132,515 | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 131,462 | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 130,321 | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 129,573 | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 129,593 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 129,917 | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 130,156 | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 129,010 | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 126,618 | -1.9% |
| 2011 | 124,076 | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 123,134 | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 126,679 | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 131,340 | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 135,588 | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 139,366 | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 142,176 | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 144,688 | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 147,147 | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 149,132 | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 149,082 | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 147,180 | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 145,817 | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 145,815 | -0.0% |
| 2025 | 146,674 | +0.6% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 146,674 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 354,188, 41% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 146,674 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.12 million, 13% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number) in Botswana changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | +52.0% | 50,215 | 76,340 |
| 1998 | +51.5% | 83,126 | 125,927 |
| 1989 | -28.3% | 81,908 | 58,737 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 34,702 | 27,346 | 42,255 | 10 |
| 1980s | 57,363 | 43,630 | 81,908 | 10 |
| 1990s | 83,616 | 61,626 | 128,243 | 10 |
| 2000s | 130,539 | 129,010 | 132,515 | 10 |
| 2010s | 134,081 | 123,134 | 147,147 | 10 |
| 2020s | 147,283 | 145,815 | 149,132 | 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 school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Botswana?
- School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Botswana was 146,674 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 149,132 in 2020.
- What is the lowest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 27,346 in 1970.
- How does Botswana rank for school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes?
- Botswana ranks 141st out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.2%. 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 School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release