Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Botswana
Botswana: Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education was 21.5% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Botswana, 1983–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Botswana stood at 21.5%.
That represents a change of down 3.9% on the previous year and down 8.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Botswana peaked at 26.5% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 14.2%, in 1983.
That places Botswana 11th out of 194 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Botswana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 14.2% | — |
| 1984 | 15.4% | +8.2% |
| 1985 | 15.3% | -0.7% |
| 1986 | 15.4% | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 16.6% | +7.8% |
| 1988 | 15.9% | -4.1% |
| 1990 | 16.4% | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 16.2% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 25.8% | +59.7% |
| 2007 | 26.5% | +2.6% |
| 2009 | 20.5% | -22.7% |
| 2010 | 23.6% | +15.0% |
| 2011 | 24.2% | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 21.7% | -10.4% |
| 2013 | 20.9% | -3.5% |
| 2014 | 22.7% | +8.4% |
| 2015 | 23.1% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 22.0% | -4.6% |
| 2017 | 22.8% | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 22.6% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 22.3% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 21.5% | -3.9% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 21.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.3%, 1.6× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 21.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.2%, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +59.7% | 16.2% | 25.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 15.4% | 14.2% | 16.6% | 6 |
| 1990s | 16.3% | 16.2% | 16.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 24.3% | 20.5% | 26.5% | 3 |
| 2010s | 22.6% | 20.9% | 24.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.5% | 21.5% | 21.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
- 8 Bhutan 22.2% compare
- 9 Uzbekistan 22.1% compare
- 10 Kazakhstan 22.0% compare
- 12 Senegal 20.9% compare
- 13 Dominican Republic 20.9% compare
- 14 Sierra Leone 20.5% compare
More economy & growth data for Botswana
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.52 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.98 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 3.02 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0002 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 1.2 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 467.27 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual -36.99 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0242 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 185.34 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate -27.34 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Botswana?
- Share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education in Botswana was 21.5% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 26.5% in 2007.
- What is the lowest share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.2% in 1983.
- How does Botswana rank for share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education?
- Botswana ranks 11th out of 194 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of gdp spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.9%. 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) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of GDP spent on education vs. share of government spending assigned to education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of total general government spending (across all sectors) that is allocated to education.