Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Botswana

Botswana: Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP was 4.0% in 2009. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2009)
4.0%
Change on year
up 64.3%
World rank
2nd
of 160 countries
All-time high
4.0%
in 2009
All-time low
0.3%
in 1971
Years of data
21
1971–2009

Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Botswana, 1971–2009

012341971199020091971: 0.336 %1972: 0.454 %1973: 0.465 %1974: 0.521 %1975: 0.729 %1976: 0.771 %1977: 0.847 %1978: 0.847 %1979: 0.365 %1980: 0.755 %1983: 0.903 %1984: 0.855 %1985: 0.825 %1986: 0.978 %1987: 0.877 %1988: 0.663 %1990: 1.1 %1992: 0.999 %2005: 3 %2007: 2.4 %2009: 4 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2009, government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in Botswana stood at 4.0%. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 64.3% on the previous year and up 34.4% over five years.

Over the whole period, government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in Botswana peaked at 4.0% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 1971.

Botswana ranks 2nd of 160 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Botswana, year by year

Annual values for Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP (%) in Botswana, 1971 to 2009.
Year % Change
1971 0.3%
1972 0.5% +34.8%
1973 0.5% +2.5%
1974 0.5% +12.1%
1975 0.7% +39.9%
1976 0.8% +5.7%
1977 0.8% +9.9%
1978 0.8% -0.0%
1979 0.4% -56.9%
1980 0.8% +107.1%
1983 0.9% +19.5%
1984 0.9% -5.3%
1985 0.8% -3.5%
1986 1.0% +18.5%
1987 0.9% -10.4%
1988 0.7% -24.3%
1990 1.1% +66.1%
1992 1.0% -9.3%
2005 3.0% +197.7%
2007 2.4% -18.2%
2009 4.0% +64.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 0.6% 0.3% 0.8% 9
1980s 0.8% 0.7% 1.0% 7
1990s 1.1% 1.0% 1.1% 2
2000s 3.1% 2.4% 4.0% 3

Countries ranked near Botswana

  1. 1 Ecuador 1,186,150.0% compare
  2. 3 Sierra Leone 3.1%
  3. 4 Cuba 3.0% compare
  4. 5 Denmark 2.5% compare

See the full ranking of 160 places →

More reference data data for Botswana

All data for Botswana →

Frequently asked questions

What is government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in Botswana?
Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp in Botswana was 4.0% in 2009, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp recorded in Botswana?
The highest recorded value was 4.0% in 2009.
What is the lowest government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp recorded in Botswana?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 1971.
How does Botswana rank for government expenditure on tertiary education as % of gdp?
Botswana ranks 2nd out of 160 countries with data for 2009.
Where does this Botswana data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP in Botswana. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-expenditure-on-tertiary-education-as-percent-of-gdp-percent/botswana/

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About this data

Indicator
Government expenditure on tertiary education as % of GDP (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
160 places, 3,221 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Total general (local, regional and central) government expenditure on tertiary education (current, capital, and transfers), expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. Divide total government expenditure for a given level of education (ex. primary, secondary, or all levels combined) by the GDP, and multiply by 100. A higher percentage of GDP spent on education shows a higher government priority for education, but also a higher capacity of the government to raise revenues for public spending, in relation to the size of the country's economy. When interpreting this indicator however, one should keep in mind in some countries, the private sector and/or households may fund a higher proportion of total funding for education, thus making government expenditure appear lower than in other countries. Limitations: In some instances data on total public expenditure on education refers only to the Ministry of Education, excluding other ministries which may also spend a part of their budget on educational activities. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/