Data as of Aug 2, 2026, 8:07 PM

SERIAL · 072Africa

Botswana

CapitalGaborone

CurrencyBWP · Botswana pula

LanguageEnglish

Since1966

ISOBWA · BW

Population

—

— THE COUNTRY —

Country in Southern Africa

Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70% of its territory being a part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the south and southeast, Namibia to the west and north, Zambia to the north, and Zimbabwe to the northeast. With a population of slightly over 2.4 million people and a comparable land area to France, Botswana is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. While it is not enshrined by statutory law, Botswana is de facto the nation state of the Batswana people, who constitute nearly 80% of the population while legally undistinguished Kalanga people, who account for another 11%, are the single largest ethnic minority.

Text: Wikipedia — BotswanaCC BY-SA 4.0 · revised 2026-07-21

— FACTS —

Capital: Gaborone
Currency: Botswana pula (BWP)
Official language: English
Drives on the: Left
Calling code: +267
Licence plate code: BW
Top-level domain: .bw
Independence / founding: 30 Sep 1966
Highest point: Otse Hill (1,491 m)
Lowest point: Limpopo River (513 m)
Anthem: Fatshe leno la rona

Facts: Wikidata (CC0) · as of 2026-08-02

— LAND —

5 of 5 figures unavailable for Botswana.

— PEOPLE —

16 of 16 figures unavailable for Botswana.

— MONEY —

GDP

$19.93Bcurrent US$

#136 of 2112025

4% of world average

GDP, purchasing power parity

$53.03Bcurrent int'l $

#132 of 1992025

5% of world average

GDP per person

$7,778current US$

#116 of 2112025

32% of world average

GDP per person, purchasing power parity

$20,698current int'l $

#103 of 1992025

62% of world average

GDP growth

-0.7%% per year

#198 of 2102025

-22% of world average

GDP per person growth

-2.3%% per year

#200 of 2102025

-98% of world average

Gross national income

$19.22Bcurrent US$

#137 of 2042025

3% of world average

Gross national income per person

$7,390current US$

#109 of 2032025

37% of world average

Gross national income per person, PPP

$19,960current int'l $

#102 of 1972025

63% of world average

▸ ISSUE 16 MORE

Inflation

2.7%% per year

#88 of 1902025

31% of world average

Inflation (GDP deflator)

3.6%% per year

#120 of 2092025

51% of world average

Real interest rate

4.2%%

#74 of 1342024

103% of world average

Lending interest rate

6.3%%

#93 of 1342024

55% of world average

Government debt

19.7%% of GDP

#5 of 632023

33% of world average

Government revenue

28.1%% of GDP

#59 of 1492023

107% of world average

Government spending

26.5%% of GDP

#74 of 1492024

96% of world average

Government consumption

31.5%% of GDP

#12 of 1812025

180% of world average

Household consumption

45.8%% of GDP

#159 of 1812025

71% of world average

Investment (gross capital formation)

29.2%% of GDP

#38 of 1782025

125% of world average

Fixed investment

28.2%% of GDP

#34 of 1732025

127% of world average

Gross savings

32.0%% of GDP

#32 of 1682024

146% of world average

Foreign investment inflows

$467.3Mcurrent US$

#122 of 2012024

6% of world average

Foreign investment inflows

2.4%% of GDP

#86 of 1982024

no comparison

Foreign investment outflows

0.0%% of GDP

#143 of 1792024

1% of world average

Current account balance

-4.3%% of GDP

#133 of 1912024

no comparison

14 of 39 figures unavailable for Botswana.

— TRADE —

12 of 12 figures unavailable for Botswana.

— HEALTH —

Physicians

0.4 /1,000per 1,000 people

#142 of 1872023

18% of world average

Nurses and midwives

3.0 /1,000per 1,000 people

#116 of 1962023

64% of world average

Hospital beds

2.4 /1,000per 1,000 people

#84 of 1572022

80% of world average

Access to clean drinking water

91.8%% of population

#149 of 2142024

101% of world average

Access to basic sanitation

72.1%% of population

#156 of 2132024

90% of world average

Suicide rate

8per 100,000 people

#112 of 1852021

98% of world average

Adults who smoke

18.0%% of adults

#79 of 1662024

91% of world average

HIV prevalence

15.7%% aged 15-49

#150 of 1532024

1143% of world average

Tuberculosis cases

143per 100,000 people

#162 of 2082024

144% of world average

▸ ISSUE 2 MORE

Undernourishment

24.0%% of population

#151 of 1682023

238% of world average

Children vaccinated against measles

97.0%% of children 12-23 months

#33 of 1932024

113% of world average

8 of 19 figures unavailable for Botswana.

— LEARNING —

Education spending

8.1%% of GDP

#8 of 1902020

186% of world average

Education spending

21.5%% of government spending

#12 of 1892020

159% of world average

Adult literacy

81.2%% aged 15+

not enough data to rank2003

97% of world average

Youth literacy

94.0%% aged 15-24

not enough data to rank2003

103% of world average

Primary school enrolment

109.3%% gross

#38 of 2002022

108% of world average

Secondary school enrolment

70.6%% gross

#146 of 1882021

81% of world average

University enrolment

21.4%% gross

#125 of 1672024

43% of world average

Primary school completion

101.5%% of relevant age group

#26 of 1802022

113% of world average

Pupils per teacher, primary school

24pupils per teacher

not enough data to rank2015

107% of world average

1 of 10 figures unavailable for Botswana.

— WORK —

Unemployment

24.5%% of labour force

#183 of 1862025

355% of world average

Youth unemployment

46.0%% of labour force aged 15-24

#182 of 1862025

293% of world average

Labour force participation

68.8%% aged 15+

#32 of 1862025

114% of world average

Women in the labour force

63.7%% of women aged 15+

#26 of 1862025

125% of world average

8 of 12 figures unavailable for Botswana.

— CONNECTED —

18 of 18 figures unavailable for Botswana.

— NATURE —

12 of 12 figures unavailable for Botswana.

— STATE —

7 of 7 figures unavailable for Botswana.

— TRADE PARTNERS —

Loading trade partner map…

— TRADE —

No trade data available for Botswana.

— EXTRAS —

Anthem

Fatshe leno la ronaAudio: Wikimedia Commons

Capital time

--:--:--Gaborone · approx. UTC+2

Neighbours

Landmarks

People

Mokgweetsi Masisiformer President of Botswana

Seretse Khama Ian KhamaBotswana politician

Festus MogaePresident of Botswana from 1998 to 2008

Seretse KhamaFirst President of Botswana (1921–1980)

Quett MasirePresident of Botswana (1925-2017)

Letsile TebogoBotswana sprinter

Amantle MontshoBotswana track and field athlete

Duma BokoPresident of Botswana

Nijel AmosBotswana middle distance runner

Mpule KwelagobeBotswana businesswoman, model, and beauty queen

Bessie Emery HeadSouth African born Botswanan writer and teacher (1937–1986)

Unity DowMotswana politician, Lawyer and Activist

History

30 Sep 1966Botswana — founding / independence (Wikidata)

Size, side by side

Loading size comparison…

1960 → now

2026

Population2.6M2025

GDP$19.93B2025

GDP per person$7,7782025