Botswana: Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 0.34 percentage points from 8.39% in 2015. Since 1971 it is up 3.67 percentage points from 4.39% in 1971. The World Bank has no value for 19 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2020, Botswana's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) fell 0.34 percentage points on 2019 (from 8.4% to 8.06%).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2019), the average change was −0.03 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.88 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.98 percentage points in 1975 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.72 percentage points in 2012. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2020 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 23% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to Botswana in the 2020 ranking

• Micronesia, Fed. Sts. — 1st of 4: 11.56%
• Colombia — 3rd of 4: 5.26%
• Qatar — 4th of 4: 3.23%

What this measures

General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.

Limitations: Data may refer to spending by the ministry of education only (excluding spending on educational activities by other ministries).

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.

All 31 values

Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Angola — 2.51% (2023)
• Benin — 3.23% (2023)
• Burkina Faso — 5.33% (2023)
• Burundi — 4.5% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 4.35% (2023)
• Cameroon — 2.84% (2023)
• Central African Republic — 1.83% (2023)
• Chad — 3.2% (2023)
• Comoros — 2.34% (2023)
• Congo, Dem. Rep.

More education data for Botswana

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 13 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) — 21.41% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.98 (2021)
• Primary education, pupils — 381,674 (2022)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 109.27% (2022)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 108.22% (2022)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Botswana's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP)?

8.06% in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 3.67 percentage points from 4.39% in 1971. The highest value was 10.83% in 2011 and the lowest 3.26% in 1973.

Is the latest change in government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) unusual for Botswana?

In 2020, Botswana's government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) fell 0.34 percentage points on 2019 (from 8.4% to 8.06%). Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2019), the average change was −0.03 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.88 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.