Includes Botswana real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.
Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Botswana economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Botswana best banks and safest banks are also available.
Basic Information
Government Type: Parliamentary republic
Capital City: Gabarone
GDP & Economic Information
Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data
| Central Bank |
Bank of Botswana |
|---|---|
| Currency |
Pulas (BWP) |
| International Reserves |
USD 6.7 billion (2018) International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved October 2019 |
| Gross Domestic Product – GDP | USD 19.0 billion (2018, estimate) |
| GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) |
Intl$ 41.9 billion (2018, estimate) |
GDP Data
| Real GDP growth |
2007 8.3% 2008 6.2% 2009 -7.7% 2010 8.6% 2011 6% 2012 4.5% 2013 11.3% 2014 4.1% 2015 -1.7% 2016 4.3% 2017* 2.9% 2018* 4.6% *Estimate |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita – current prices |
USD 8,137.2 (2018, estimate) |
| GDP per capita – PPP |
Intl$ 17,965.4 (2018, estimate) |
| GDP (PPP) – share of world total |
1980 0.01% 1990 0.03% 2000 0.03% 2010 0.03% 2019* 0.03% |
| GDP – composition by sector |
agriculture: 2% industry: 29.3% services: 59.5% (2018 estimate) |
| Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP) | N/A |
| Inflation |
2015 3.1% 2016 2.8% 2017 3.3% 2018* 3.2% 2019* 3% |
Botswana
Features
Mobile’s Last Barriers
Capital Raising & Corporate Finance
ANNUAL SURVEY: WORLD’S BEST BANKS 2014Inflation & Debt
| Inflation |
2015 3.1% 2016 2.8% 2017 3.3% 2018* 3.2% 2019* 3% *Estimate |
|---|---|
| Government Bond Ratings |
Standard & Poor’s: A- Moody’s: A2 Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s |
| Unemployment rate | N/A |
| Household saving rates | N/A |
| Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) |
2015 17.2% 2016 15.6% 2017 13.4% 2018 12.1% 2019* 12.3% *Estimate |
| Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) |
2015 -4.6% 2016 0.7% 2017 -1.1% 2018* -3% 2019* -3.1% *Estimate |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | N/A |
| Largest Companies | N/A |
Import/Export
| Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) |
5.9% (2017) |
|---|---|
| Shares in world total merchandising export |
0.004% (2018) |
| Shares in world total commercial services export |
0.008% (2018) |
| Total exports |
USD 1.6 billion (2018 estimate) |
| Export commodities |
Opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems, and medical herbs |
| Total imports |
USD 8.3 billion (2018 estimate) |
| Import commodities |
Machinery and other capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products |
| Exports – major partners |
India 56.5%, Pakistan 29.6% (2017) |
| Imports – major partners |
China 21%, Iran 20.5%, Pakistan 11.8%, Kazakhstan 11%, Uzbekistan 6.8%, Malaysia 5.3%(2017) |
Competitiveness & Trade
| Current account balance |
USD 0.3 billion (2018 estimate) |
|---|---|
| Current account balance by percentage of GDP |
1.9 % (2018 estimate) |
| FDI inflows |
2016 USD 122 million 2017 USD 177 million 2018 USD 229 million |
| FDI Outflows |
2016 USD 318 million 2017 USD 333 million 2018 USD 125 million |
| Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser |
2015 USD -3.0 million 2016 N/A 2017 USD 7.1 million 2018 USD 0.0 million |
| Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 | N/A |
| Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015 | N/A |
| Best countries for doing business |
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm. Overall ranking: 87 out of 190 countries Subcategories: Starting a Business: 159 out of 190 countries Dealing with Construction Permits: 44 out of 190 countries Getting Electricity: 139 out of 190 countries Registering Property: 82 out of 190 countries Getting Credit: 80 out of 190 countries Protecting Minority Investors: 72 out of 190 countries Paying Taxes: 59 out of 190 countries Trading across Borders: 55 out of 190 countries Enforcing Contracts: 137 out of 190 countries Resolving Insolvency: 84 out of 190 countries |
| Global competitiveness ranking | 91 out of 141 (2019) |
| Index of Economic Freedom |
Ranking: 36 / Score: 69.5 (Moderately free) (100=totally free 0=totally repressed) |
Population & Geographic Data
| Total Area |
581,730 sq km |
|---|---|
| Total Population |
1990 1.38 million 2000 1.76 million 2010 2.01 million 2015 2.21 million 2020* 2.42 million *estimate |
| Urban population as % of total population |
1960 3.1% 1980 16.5% 2000 53.2% 2018 69.4% *estimate |
| Population median age |
24.9 years |
| Population growth rate |
1.52% (2018 estimate) |
| Life expectancy |
63.8 years (2018 estimate) |
| % of population living on less than $3.10 a day |
38.5% (last available estimate, 2015) |
| Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index) |
53.3 (last available estimate, 2015) |
| Freedom House rating |
Free Political Rights: 3 Civil Liberties: 2 (2019) (1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating) |
| Total telephone subscribers as % of population |
Fixed: 6.3% Mobile: 150% (2018) (fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers) |
| Internet users as % of total population |
47 % (2017) |
Language & Religon
| Languages |
Setswana 77.3%, Sekalanga 7.4%, Shekgalagadi 3.4%, English (official) 2.8%, Zezuru/Shona 2%, Sesarwa 1.7%, Sembukushu 1.6%, Ndebele 1%, other 2.8% (2011 est.) |
|---|---|
| Literacy |
Total population: 88.5% Male: 88% Female: 88.9% Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.) |
| Religions |
Christian 79.1%, Badimo 4.1%, other 1.4% (includes Baha’i, Hindu, Muslim, Rastafarian), none 15.2%, unspecified 0.3% (2011 est.) |
World Rankings
| Population | 2.8 M |
|---|---|
| Mercer Cost of living index | N/A |
| C02 Emissions per capita |
1.9 metric tons per capita (2018) |
Global Finance Rankings & Awards: Botswana
Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.
Data Sources:
IMF World Economic Outlook
UN World Population Prospects
World Inequality Report
S&P Global Ratings
Moody’s
Fitch Ratings
IMF Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)
UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
CIA The World Factbook
World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution
Forbes Global 2000