country profile

Botswana

Sub-Saharan AfricaUpper middle income2.56M population

Last updated July 15, 2026

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Emerging readiness

Composite GEFRI Score

Access & Parity is strongest, but Human Capital and Innovation remain constraints

Botswana demonstrates early-stage readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (55th percentile worldwide). Investments are generating initial gains, yet substantial gaps persist in several dimensions.

53.75Composite score
Global percentile
55th
Global rank
#80
Regional rank
#3
Viewing data for
Emerging readiness
Infrastructure
51.03
32nd percentileGlobal avg. 55.13
Emerging readiness
Human Capital
48.02
41st percentileGlobal avg. 47.36
Severely underprepared
Innovation
42.59
46th percentileGlobal avg. 46.19
Emerging readiness
Governance
59.92
72nd percentileGlobal avg. 47.46
Progressing readiness
Access & Parity
67.21
58th percentileGlobal avg. 48.49

Country profile

Botswana remains in the emerging-readiness range, with progress visible but major gaps still limiting future readiness. Most dimension scores sit close to global norms, without a single dimension standing far above the rest.

Uneven scores across dimensions show where readiness conditions are less aligned. Low internet adoption slows digital participation and constrains system-wide modernization. Limited tertiary enrollment narrows future talent pipelines and innovation capacity.

Sparse R&D investment and a small research workforce slow experimentation and delay new ideas from reaching learners. Girls outperform boys in secondary pathways, adding pressure to address male dropout risks.

Infrastructure presents a near-term leapfrog opportunity: performance is just below the global average, backed by enough observed data to support forward planning. Regionally, Botswana leads most clearly in School Access and Gender Parity, sitting well above the peer average.

Some indicators are imputed, so the profile should be read with moderate caution.

Key insights

Places 80th worldwide.

Holds a regional position of 3rd within Sub-Saharan Africa.

Scores range from Access & Parity (67.2) to Innovation (42.6), reflecting variation across dimensions.

Leads regional peers most clearly in Access & Parity.

Regional peers: Sub-Saharan Africa

Composite GEFRI Score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
651South Africa57.44
742Mauritius55.85
SeychellesMicrostate55.06
803Botswana53.75
994Ghana48.08
1085Namibia44.23
1146Cabo Verde39.44
1207Eswatini36.39
1258Equatorial Guinea35.21
1269Senegal34.71
12710Gabon34.67
12811Rwanda34.54
13312Kenya32.83
13513Gambia, The32.46
13614Cote d'Ivoire32.04
13715Lesotho31.46
14016Tanzania29.45
14217Benin29.31
Sao Tome and PrincipeFCSMicrostate29.18
14318Togo28.93
14419Zimbabwe28.61
14520CameroonFCS28.42
14621Mauritania27.91
14822Zambia27.69
15023Angola27.20
15324Guinea25.53
15425MozambiqueFCS25.03
15526Madagascar24.90
15627Uganda24.77
15728Congo, Rep.FCS24.76
15829NigeriaFCS24.43
16030EthiopiaFCS24.27
16131Burkina FasoFCS24.20
16232ComorosFCS24.06
16333Sierra Leone23.91
16434MalawiFCS23.31
16535Liberia22.51
16636Guinea-BissauFCS22.30
16737MaliFCS21.77
16838Burundi20.39
16939SudanFCS19.96
17040NigerFCS19.49
17141EritreaFCS19.24
17242Congo, Dem. Rep.FCS19.13
17343ChadFCS17.06
17544SomaliaFCS16.33
17645South SudanFCS16.19
17746Central African RepublicFCS16.10