country profile

Botswana

Sub-Saharan AfricaUpper middle income2.56M population

Last updated August 26, 2026

FacebookTwitter/XLinkedInReddit
Progressing readiness

Composite GEFRI Score

Access & Parity is a strength, but Innovation lags

Botswana shows progressing readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (52nd percentile worldwide). Reforms are translating into broader capability, though uneven performance continues to slow system-wide alignment.

63.01Composite score
Global percentile
52nd
Global rank
#86
Regional rank
#3
Viewing data for
Progressing readiness
Infrastructure
70.71
40th percentileGlobal avg. 70.44
Progressing readiness
Human Capital
64.40
40th percentileGlobal avg. 66.18
Severely underprepared
Innovation
41.50
41st percentileGlobal avg. 48.64
Emerging readiness
Governance
59.82
72nd percentileGlobal avg. 47.07
Advanced readiness
Access & Parity
78.62
55th percentileGlobal avg. 60.85

Country profile

Botswana shows progressing readiness, with important strengths but continued gaps across the system. 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.

Human Capital 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 86th worldwide.

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

Scores range from Access & Parity (78.6) to Innovation (41.5), reflecting variation across dimensions.

Leads regional peers most clearly in Access & Parity.

Regional peers: Sub-Saharan Africa

Composite GEFRI Score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
611Mauritius69.13
672South Africa68.78
SeychellesMicrostate64.14
863Botswana63.01
974Namibia59.03
1005Ghana58.00
1156Eswatini49.17
1167Cabo Verde49.06
1238Rwanda44.81
1279Gambia, The43.01
12810Kenya42.93
12911Senegal42.87
13012Gabon42.59
13213Equatorial Guinea41.26
13314Cote d'Ivoire41.19
13915Zambia38.11
14016Lesotho37.98
Sao Tome and PrincipeFCSMicrostate37.69
14117Togo37.61
14418Benin36.56
14519Zimbabwe36.55
14620Tanzania35.55
14721CameroonFCS35.16
14922Mauritania34.17
15023Sierra Leone33.62
15124ComorosFCS33.36
15225Burkina FasoFCS32.56
15326Congo, Rep.FCS32.39
15427Uganda32.27
15528Angola32.18
15729NigeriaFCS31.67
15830MozambiqueFCS30.55
15931MalawiFCS30.35
16032EthiopiaFCS30.26
16133MaliFCS29.69
16234Madagascar29.63
16435Guinea28.36
16536Guinea-BissauFCS28.36
16837Liberia24.94
16938NigerFCS24.54
17039Burundi24.53
17140Congo, Dem. Rep.FCS24.39
17241SudanFCS23.03
17342EritreaFCS21.02
17443ChadFCS20.62
17544Central African RepublicFCS20.44
17645SomaliaFCS20.32
17746South SudanFCS18.91