Botswana — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Botswana, 1971–2020.
Education spending for Botswana was 8.06% in 2020, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 31 years, from 1971 to 2020. The highest recorded value was 10.83% in 2011. The lowest was 3.26% in 1973 (about 2.5× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 1.25% per year.
Botswana ranks 6 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 3%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 3.61%, so Botswana sits above it. It peaked in 2011 and has fallen 26% since. Over the last decade (2011–2020) the figure moved down 26%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 2 of 41 economies; Mauritania (7.61%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 56% in 2005. That is 4% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
From its 1971 level: doubled by 2005. Doubling roughly every 56 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 17th of 53 in 1971 → 15th of 63 in 1980 → 4th of 50 in 1990 → 8th of 157 in 2020.
Key figures
Full history — 1971 to 2020
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 8.06% | -0.3 pp |
| 2019 | 8.4% | +0.5 pp |
| 2018 | 7.91% | +0.1 pp |
| 2017 | 7.81% | -0.9 pp |
| 2016 | 8.74% | +0.3 pp |
| 2015 | 8.39% | +0.5 pp |
| 2014 | 7.89% | -0.1 pp |
| 2013 | 8.02% | -0.1 pp |
| 2012 | 8.11% | -2.7 pp |
| 2011 | 10.83% | +1.0 pp |
| 2009 | 9.83% | +0.8 pp |
| 2007 | 9.05% | -1.6 pp |
| 2005 | 10.68% | +3.8 pp |
| 1992 | 6.84% | +1.1 pp |
| 1990 | 5.74% | -0.4 pp |
| 1988 | 6.15% | +0.0 pp |
| 1987 | 6.12% | +0.9 pp |
| 1986 | 5.19% | -0.5 pp |
| 1985 | 5.65% | +0.1 pp |
| 1984 | 5.55% | -0.0 pp |
| 1983 | 5.55% | +0.1 pp |
| 1980 | 5.47% | -0.7 pp |
| 1979 | 6.14% | +0.2 pp |
| 1978 | 5.95% | +0.6 pp |
| 1977 | 5.4% | -0.7 pp |
| 1976 | 6.06% | +0.4 pp |
| 1975 | 5.65% | +2.0 pp |
| 1974 | 3.67% | +0.4 pp |
| 1973 | 3.26% | -0.6 pp |
| 1972 | 3.91% | -0.5 pp |
| 1971 | 4.39% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Botswana’s Education spending in 1972?
3.91% (1972). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of GDP, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Botswana’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1971 and 2020 the series was growing overall: +83.7% in total — about 1.2% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2020: 8.06%; 2019: 8.4%; 2018: 7.91%; 2017: 7.81%; 2016: 8.74%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS — Government Education Spending (% of GDP). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.