A river that runs through the marsh in Botswana

Botswana Economy

Botswana's economy in numbers:

Nominal GDP of USD 19.7 billion in 2023.

Nominal GDP of USD 20.3 billion in 2022.

GDP per capita of USD 7,723 compared to the global average of USD 10,589.

GDP per capita of USD 7,376 compared to the global average of USD 10,589.

Average real GDP growth of 3.8% over the last decade.

Average real GDP growth of 3.5% over the last decade.

Share of the region's population
Share of the region's GDP

Economic structure:

In 2020, services accounted for 70% of overall GDP, manufacturing 6%, other industrial activity 22%, and agriculture 2%. Looking at GDP by expenditure, private consumption accounted for 46% of GDP in 2020, government consumption 36%, fixed investment 33%, and net exports -15%.

GDP by economic sector
GDP by type of expenditure

International trade:

In 2020, manufactured products made up 95% of total merchandise exports, mineral fuels 0%, food 2%, ores and metals 2% and agricultural raw materials 0%, with other categories accounting for 1% of the total. In the same period, manufactured products made up 73% of total merchandise imports, mineral fuels 13%, food 13%, ores and metals 1% and agricultural raw materials 1%, with other goods accounting for -1% of the total. Total exports were worth USD 8 billion in 2022, while total imports were USD 8 billion.

Key exports
Key imports
Key export partners
Key import partners

Economic growth:

The economy recorded average annual growth of 3.6% in the decade to 2022. To read more about GDP growth in Botswana, go to our dedicated page.

Fiscal policy:

Botswana's fiscal deficit averaged 1.9% of GDP in the decade to 2022. Find out more on our dedicated page.

Unemployment:

The unemployment rate averaged 19.7% in the decade to 2022. For more information on Botswana's unemployment click here.

Inflation:

Inflation averaged 4.9% in the decade to 2022. Go to our Botswana inflation page for extra insight.

Monetary Policy:

Botswana's monetary policy rate ended 2022 at 2.65%, down from 9.50% a decade earlier. See our Botswana monetary policy page for additional details.

Exchange Rate:

From end-2012 to end-2022 the pula weakened by 38.6% vs the U.S. dollar. For more info on the pula, click here.
The economy contracted for the second consecutive quarter in Q2, and headwinds seem to have mounted since. Domestically, protracted drought has destroyed crops, thereby intensifying food shortages and fanning food prices, as well as disrupting economic activity. Meanwhile, the external sector outlook has also darkened: Key diamond exports fell more than twice as fast in July–August than in Q2. Amid mounting strain on the public coffers, in mid-October, the Finance Minister proposed lowering expenditure in the 2024/25 budget. In other news, elections on 30 October resulted in an unexpected victory for the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) coalition party, as voters punished the Botswana Democratic Party—which had governed for over 50 years—for depending on a struggling diamond industry. The victory bodes well for economic diversification efforts, fixed investment and social spending.
Projections out to 2034.

43 indicators covered including both annual and quarterly frequencies.

Consensus Forecasts based on a panel of 7 expert analysts.

Want to get insight on the economic outlook for Botswana in the coming years? FocusEconomics collects projections out to 2034 on 43 economic indicators for Botswana from a panel of 7 analysts at the leading national, regional and global forecast institutions. These projections are then validated by our in-house team of economists and data analysts, and averaged to provide one Consensus Forecast you can rely on for each indicator. This means you avoid the risk of relying on out of date, biased or outlier forecasts. Our Consensus Forecasts can be visualized in whichever way best suits your needs, including via interactive online dashboards , direct data delivery and executive-style reports which combine analysts' projections with timely written analysis from our in-house team of economists on the latest developments in the Botswana economy. To download a sample report on the Botswana's economy, click here. To get in touch with our team for more information, fill in the form at the bottom of this page.

Botswana Economic Data

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Population (million) 2.5 2.5 2.6 2.6 2.7
GDP (USD bn) 16.7 15.0 18.7 20.3 19.7
GDP per capita (USD) 6,689 5,880 7,243 7,723 7,376
GDP (BWP bn) 180 171 208 251 264
Economic Growth (Nominal GDP, ann. var. %) 3.6 -4.7 21.3 20.9 4.9
Economic Growth (GDP, ann. var. %) 3.0 -8.7 11.9 5.5 2.7
Domestic Demand (ann. var. %) 14.2 2.3 -0.1 2.5 6.1
Private Consumption (ann. var. %) 3.1 2.3 2.5 3.1 5.6
Government Consumption (ann. var. %) 10.3 4.0 4.0 2.5 4.0
Fixed Investment (ann. var. %) 10.2 -9.2 0.3 -0.2 4.2
Exports (G&S, ann. var. %) -8.8 -18.6 31.7 -5.3 -13.8
Imports (G&S, ann. var. %) 11.6 5.0 2.3 -11.7 -7.4
Unemployment (% of active population, aop) 20.1 21.0 23.1 23.6 23.4
Fiscal Balance (% of GDP) -8.5 -10.9 -2.4 0.0 -4.7
Public Debt (% of GDP) 16.5 18.7 18.7 18.1 20.1
Money (ann. var. of M2 %) 8.0 5.9 5.0 6.8 9.3
Inflation (CPI, ann. var. %, eop) 2.2 2.2 8.7 12.4 3.5
Inflation (CPI, ann. var. %, aop) 2.8 1.9 6.7 12.2 5.1
Bank Rate (%, eop) 4.75 3.75 3.75 2.65 2.40
Exchange Rate (BWP per USD, eop) 10.58 10.80 11.76 12.75 13.39
Exchange Rate (BWP per USD, aop) 10.76 11.45 11.09 12.38 13.37
Current Account Balance (USD bn) -1.2 -1.5 -0.3 -0.2 -0.1
Current Account Balance (% of GDP) -6.9 -10.3 -1.7 -1.2 -0.6
Merchandise Trade Balance (USD bn) -1.1 -2.0 -0.7 0.5 -0.5
Merchandise Exports (USD bn) 5.3 4.3 7.4 8.3 5.9
Merchandise Imports (USD bn) 6.3 6.3 8.1 7.7 6.3
Merchandise Exports (ann. var. %) -20.2 -18.3 72.8 11.6 -29.4
Merchandise Imports (ann. var. %) 3.6 -1.0 28.9 -4.1 -18.4
Foreign Direct Investment (USD bn) 0.1 0.0 -0.3 0.7 0.2
International Reserves (USD bn) 6.2 4.9 4.8 4.3 4.8
International Reserves (months of imports) 11.7 9.5 7.1 6.6 9.0
External Debt (USD bn) 1.6 1.6 2.0 2.0 -
External Debt (% of GDP) 9.4 10.7 10.6 9.7 -

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