School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Botswana
Botswana: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) was 12.19 years in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
12.19 years
World rank
128th
of 186 countries
All-time high
12.41 years
in 2006
All-time low
5.25 years
in 1971
Years of data
33
1970–2021
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Botswana, 1970–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Botswana recorded 12.19 years for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in 2021.
The figure is down 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Botswana peaked at 12.41 years in 2006 and was at its lowest, 5.25 years, in 1971.
That places Botswana 128th out of 186 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Botswana, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 5.54 years | — |
| 1971 | 5.25 years | -5.2% |
| 1972 | 5.28 years | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 6.01 years | +13.6% |
| 1974 | 6.23 years | +3.8% |
| 1975 | 6.71 years | +7.7% |
| 1976 | 6.98 years | +4.1% |
| 1977 | 7.34 years | +5.2% |
| 1978 | 7.52 years | +2.3% |
| 1979 | 7.69 years | +2.3% |
| 1980 | 8.07 years | +4.9% |
| 1981 | 8.23 years | +1.9% |
| 1983 | 8.52 years | +3.6% |
| 1984 | 8.92 years | +4.7% |
| 1985 | 9.31 years | +4.4% |
| 1986 | 9.53 years | +2.3% |
| 1987 | 9.66 years | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 10.93 years | +13.1% |
| 1993 | 10.81 years | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 10.65 years | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 11.01 years | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 11.57 years | +5.0% |
| 1999 | 11.98 years | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 12.1 years | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 12.09 years | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 11.92 years | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 12.01 years | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 12.08 years | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 12.19 years | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 12.41 years | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 12.4 years | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 12.36 years | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 12.19 years | -1.3% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 12.19 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 14.13 years, 86% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 12.19 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10.16 years, 1.2× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.46 years | 5.25 years | 7.69 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.89 years | 8.07 years | 9.66 years | 7 |
| 1990s | 11.16 years | 10.65 years | 11.98 years | 6 |
| 2000s | 12.17 years | 11.92 years | 12.41 years | 9 |
| 2020s | 12.19 years | 12.19 years | 12.19 years | 1 |
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 life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Botswana?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Botswana was 12.19 years in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 12.41 years in 2006.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.25 years in 1971.
- How does Botswana rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- Botswana ranks 128th out of 186 countries with data for 2021.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.3%. 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 life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release