Sub-Saharan Africa · Upper middle income
Botswana: the economy in numbers
Per person: $7,778, or $20,698 at purchasing power parity. Population: 2.56 million (2025).
$19.9B−0.7%real GDP growth, 2025
GDP in 2025, current US dollars: #133 of 204 economies. IMF forecast for 2026: +4.4%.
GDP per capita
$7,778
2025 · #111 of 204
GDP per capita, PPP
$20,698
2025 · #102 of 197
Inflation
2.7%
2025 · IMF forecast 2026: 7.2%
Government debt
30.5%
2024 · % of GDP, general government
Population
2.56M
2025 · #143 of 217
Unemployment
24.5%
2025 · ILO estimate
Stock market capitalization
21.5%
2025 · % of GDP · $4.28B
Life expectancy
69.3 years
2024
GDP
Adjusted for US inflation, in 2025 dollars: $331 million in 1960, $19.9 billion in 2025.
GDP per capita
In 2025 dollars: $642 per person in 1960, $7,778 in 2025.
GDP per capitaGDP per capita, PPP (international $)
Real GDP growth
Average over 2016–2025: 2.5% a year. Years of falling GDP since 1961: 6 of 65.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Inflation
Consumer prices rose 4.6 times from 2000 to 2025. Highest annual inflation: 16.4% in 1981.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Government debt, % of GDP
Highest since 1998: 30.5% of GDP in 2024. IMF forecast for 2031: 64.4%.
General government (IMF)Central government only (World Bank)
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Stock market capitalization, % of GDP
In 2025 listed domestic companies were worth $4.28 billion, or 21.5% of GDP.
Population
1960: 516,165 · 2025: 2.56 million.
Unemployment rate
1991: 13.8% · 2025: 24.5%.
Life expectancy at birth
1960: 51.2 years · 2024: 69.3 years.
Exports of goods and services
1960: 26.3% · 2025: 32.0%.
Data by year
Show the year-by-year table
| Year | GDP | GDP per capita | Per capita, PPP | Real growth | Inflation | Gov. debt, % GDP | Population | Unemployment | Stock market, % GDP | Life expectancy | Exports, % GDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2031 | 4.0%f | 4.5%f | 64.4%f | ||||||||
| 2030 | 3.9%f | 4.5%f | 59.1%f | ||||||||
| 2029 | 3.9%f | 4.4%f | 54.4%f | ||||||||
| 2028 | 3.0%f | 4.4%f | 49.9%f | ||||||||
| 2027 | 2.2%f | 7.4%f | 45.5%f | ||||||||
| 2026 | 4.4%f | 7.2%f | 40.3%f | ||||||||
| 2025 | $19.9B | $7,778 | $20,698 | −0.7% | 2.7% | 34.0%e | 2.56M | 24.5% | 21.5% | 32.0% | |
| 2024 | $19.3B | $7,650 | $20,612 | −2.8% | 2.8% | 30.5% | 2.52M | 23.8% | 20.2% | 69.3 | 27.1% |
| 2023 | $19.4B | $7,827 | $21,029 | 3.2% | 5.1% | 22.5% | 2.48M | 23.4% | 18.5% | 69.2 | 32.9% |
| 2022 | $20.3B | $8,329 | $19,974 | 5.5% | 11.7% | 20.0% | 2.44M | 23.6% | 152.7% | 68.7 | 43.5% |
| 2021 | $18.8B | $7,808 | $17,961 | 11.9% | 7.2% | 22.3% | 2.4M | 23.1% | 16.8% | 63.3 | 41.8% |
| 2020 | $15B | $6,323 | $15,292 | −8.7% | 1.9% | 23.5% | 2.37M | 21.0% | 22.0% | 67.6 | 31.3% |
| 2019 | $16.7B | $7,172 | $15,960 | 3.0% | 2.8% | 21.5% | 2.33M | 20.1% | 21.3% | 67.2 | 37.1% |
| 2018 | $17B | $7,408 | $15,786 | 4.2% | 3.2% | 19.6% | 2.3M | 19.7% | 23.7% | 66.4 | 44.2% |
| 2017 | $16.1B | $7,105 | $15,701 | 4.1% | 3.3% | 19.6% | 2.27M | 19.7% | 65.4 | 42.9% | |
| 2016 | $15.1B | $6,749 | $16,228 | 7.2% | 2.8% | 22.3% | 2.23M | 19.3% | 64.3 | 54.6% | |
| 2015 | $13.5B | $6,141 | $14,144 | −4.9% | 3.1% | 24.5% | 2.2M | 18.9% | 63.2 | 53.1% | |
| 2014 | $15.5B | $7,122 | $15,003 | 5.7% | 4.4% | 23.9% | 2.17M | 18.5% | 62.2 | 61.3% | |
| 2013 | $14.3B | $6,667 | $13,621 | 11.1% | 5.9% | 23.8% | 2.14M | 18.2% | 61.2 | 61.4% | |
| 2012 | $13.9B | $6,596 | $12,737 | −0.2% | 7.5% | 26.4% | 2.11M | 17.9% | 60.4 | 48.1% | |
| 2011 | $15.1B | $7,287 | $13,635 | 6.8% | 8.5% | 27.9% | 2.07M | 18.0% | 59.7 | 44.2% | |
| 2010 | $12.6B | $6,216 | $12,753 | 10.1% | 6.9% | 26.5% | 2.03M | 17.9% | 59.1 | 42.1% | |
| 2009 | $10.1B | $5,083 | $11,686 | −14.1% | 8.0% | 22.4% | 1.99M | 16.2% | 58.3 | 35.8% | |
| 2008 | $10.7B | $5,503 | $13,810 | 3.3% | 12.7% | 7.8% | 1.95M | 16.3% | 57.7 | 46.9% | |
| 2007 | $10.6B | $5,529 | $13,389 | 5.8% | 7.1% | 5.9% | 1.91M | 17.0% | 56.7 | 56.5% | |
| 2006 | $9.92B | $5,292 | $12,563 | 8.4% | 11.6% | 6.1% | 1.87M | 17.8% | 55.1 | 51.8% | |
| 2005 | $9.92B | $5,391 | $11,458 | 4.6% | 8.6% | 7.5% | 1.84M | 19.9% | 54.4 | 52.9% | |
| 2004 | $8.96B | $4,957 | $10,818 | 2.7% | 6.9% | 10.7% | 1.81M | 21.8% | 53.6 | 49.6% | |
| 2003 | $7.51B | $4,230 | $10,439 | 4.6% | 9.2% | 7.1% | 1.78M | 23.8% | 52.9 | 48.8% | |
| 2002 | $5.44B | $3,117 | $9,958 | 6.1% | 8.0% | 8.4% | 1.74M | 21.3% | 52.4 | 52.2% | |
| 2001 | $5.49B | $3,206 | $9,420 | 0.3% | 6.6% | 7.5% | 1.71M | 18.5% | 52.2 | 48.7% | |
| 2000 | $5.79B | $3,451 | $9,380 | 2.0% | 8.6% | 8.2% | 1.68M | 15.9% | 16.9% | 52.3 | 51.8% |
| 1999 | $5.48B | $3,340 | $9,188 | 9.7% | 7.7% | 9.3% | 1.64M | 18.2% | 19.2% | 52.5 | 55.2% |
| 1998 | $4.79B | $2,981 | $8,441 | 0.4% | 6.7% | 11.3% | 1.61M | 20.9% | 15.1% | 53.0 | 49.3% |
| 1997 | $5.02B | $3,194 | $8,497 | 8.3% | 8.7% | 1.57M | 21.0% | 12.2% | 53.6 | 60.9% | |
| 1996 | $4.85B | $3,156 | $7,890 | 5.8% | 10.1% | 1.54M | 21.6% | 6.8% | 54.3 | 53.8% | |
| 1995 | $4.73B | $3,156 | $7,503 | 7.0% | 10.5% | 1.5M | 21.4% | 8.4% | 54.7 | 50.8% | |
| 1994 | $4.26B | $2,917 | $7,049 | 3.6% | 10.5% | 1.46M | 21.2% | 6.2% | 56.0 | 47.8% | |
| 1993 | $4.16B | $2,929 | $6,847 | 1.9% | 14.3% | 1.42M | 18.8% | 5.5% | 57.3 | 47.1% | |
| 1992 | $4.15B | $3,005 | $6,753 | 2.9% | 16.2% | 1.38M | 16.3% | 58.2 | 48.2% | ||
| 1991 | $3.94B | $2,939 | $6,598 | 7.5% | 11.8% | 1.34M | 13.8% | 58.9 | 53.0% | ||
| 1990 | $3.79B | $2,903 | $6,104 | 6.8% | 11.4% | 1.31M | 60.1 | 55.1% | |||
| 1989 | $3.08B | $2,428 | 13.1% | 11.6% | 1.27M | 61.2 | 59.2% | ||||
| 1988 | $2.64B | $2,141 | 19.4% | 8.4% | 1.24M | 61.7 | 70.5% | ||||
| 1987 | $1.97B | $1,639 | 11.9% | 9.8% | 1.2M | 62.8 | 75.1% | ||||
| 1986 | $1.39B | $1,200 | 8.2% | 10.0% | 1.16M | 63.4 | 68.3% | ||||
| 1985 | $1.11B | $994 | 7.1% | 8.1% | 1.12M | 63.6 | 66.3% | ||||
| 1984 | $1.24B | $1,145 | 8.5% | 8.6% | 1.08M | 63.7 | 60.8% | ||||
| 1983 | $1.17B | $1,121 | 13.1% | 10.5% | 1.05M | 63.6 | 62.1% | ||||
| 1982 | $1.01B | $1,006 | 12.2% | 11.1% | 1.01M | 63.4 | 54.6% | ||||
| 1981 | $1.07B | $1,107 | 9.1% | 16.4% | 970K | 63.0 | 49.7% | ||||
| 1980 | $1.06B | $1,132 | 12.0% | 13.6% | 937K | 62.5 | 53.1% | ||||
| 1979 | $820M | $909 | 12.1% | 11.7% | 902K | 62.0 | 54.1% | ||||
| 1978 | $590M | $695 | 14.3% | 9.0% | 849K | 61.5 | 52.1% | ||||
| 1977 | $452M | $565 | 12.0% | 13.2% | 800K | 60.9 | 50.9% | ||||
| 1976 | $372M | $490 | 10.6% | 11.7% | 759K | 60.2 | 50.4% | ||||
| 1975 | $355M | $493 | 8.4% | 12.0% | 720K | 59.5 | 43.6% | ||||
| 1974 | $306M | $446 | 8.8% | 685K | 58.9 | 40.9% | |||||
| 1973 | $244M | $374 | 21.3% | 652K | 58.3 | 38.8% | |||||
| 1972 | $164M | $264 | 26.4% | 622K | 57.7 | 37.4% | |||||
| 1971 | $127M | $212 | 25.8% | 600K | 57.1 | 33.1% | |||||
| 1970 | $96.2M | $163 | 17.1% | 590K | 56.4 | 24.7% | |||||
| 1969 | $77.4M | $132 | 15.1% | 587K | 55.9 | 22.8% | |||||
| 1968 | $66.2M | $113 | 10.6% | 584K | 55.4 | 23.1% | |||||
| 1967 | $58.6M | $101 | 5.9% | 581K | 54.9 | 24.6% | |||||
| 1966 | $51.5M | $89 | 6.3% | 578K | 54.4 | 29.3% | |||||
| 1965 | $45.8M | $80 | 5.8% | 575K | 53.9 | 31.7% | |||||
| 1964 | $41.6M | $73 | 6.8% | 566K | 53.4 | 28.8% | |||||
| 1963 | $38.1M | $69 | 5.9% | 553K | 52.8 | 29.0% | |||||
| 1962 | $35.6M | $66 | 6.7% | 540K | 52.3 | 27.9% | |||||
| 1961 | $32.9M | $62 | 6.3% | 528K | 51.8 | 27.2% | |||||
| 1960 | $30.4M | $59 | 516K | 51.2 | 26.3% |
e: IMF estimate; f: IMF forecast.
Nearby economies in Sub-Saharan Africa
Nearest by distance between capitals, with GDP per capita.
Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cabo Verde · Cameroon · Central African Republic · Chad · Comoros · Côte d’Ivoire · DR Congo · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Eswatini · Ethiopia · Gabon · Gambia · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Kenya · Lesotho · Liberia · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Nigeria · Republic of the Congo · Rwanda · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Africa · South Sudan · Sudan · São Tomé and Príncipe · Tanzania · Togo · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe
Rankings
GDP by country · GDP per capita · Real GDP growth · Inflation by country · Government debt to GDP · Stock market to GDP · Population by country · Unemployment by country
Data and methods
- GDP: gross domestic product in current US dollars, converted from the local currency at market exchange rates (World Bank); not adjusted for inflation.
- Purchasing power parity (PPP): GDP per person in international dollars, which buy the same basket of goods and services in every country. It compares living standards across countries in the same year; it is not adjusted for inflation over time.
- In 2025 dollars: the charts can remove US inflation (US consumer price index, annual average) so that dollar amounts from different years compare in today's money. Exchange rate swings still show.
- Growth and inflation: World Bank data (calendar years). Years the World Bank does not cover yet, and the estimates and forecasts, come from the IMF World Economic Outlook (October 2026): its forecasts start in 2026, and the years after a country's last actual year are IMF estimates.
- Government debt: gross debt of the general government (central, state and local government and social security funds) as a percentage of GDP, IMF. The World Bank's central government debt is narrower and covers fewer countries.
- Stock market capitalization: the end-of-year value of domestic companies listed on the country's exchanges (World Federation of Exchanges via the World Bank; before 2016, Standard & Poor's), as a percentage of GDP: the “Buffett indicator”. Investment funds are excluded, and so are companies listed only abroad; companies from elsewhere that list on an exchange count for its country (Hong Kong lists many mainland Chinese companies).
- Unemployment: ILO modeled estimates (share of the labor force); comparable across countries, but they may differ from national figures.
- Fiscal year: the IMF reports this economy by fiscal year (latest actual: FY2024/25), so IMF numbers can differ from calendar-year World Bank figures.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)