A river that runs through the marsh in Botswana

Botswana Economy

Botswana's economy in numbers:

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.

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.
In Q3, GDP rebounded, expanding by 0.5% year on year after a 3.3% contraction in Q2. The key contributors to growth in the third quarter were public administration, construction, accommodation and food, and wholesale and retail trade. However, mining activity contracted in Q3 due to reduced production in the crucial diamond sector. The economy should have accelerated in Q4. Although inflation increased on average, annual credit growth remained in double digits in October, boding well for household consumption and investment. However, reduced merchandise exports in October suggest that the external sector may have restrained overall momentum. In other news, in mid-January, parts of Botswana began to experience load shedding amid maintenance work at a substation in neighboring Namibia. Prolonged disruption could impede activity ahead.
Projections out to 2033.

39 indicators covered including both annual and quarterly frequencies.

Consensus Forecasts based on a panel of 9 expert analysts.

Want to get insight on the economic outlook for Botswana in the coming years? FocusEconomics collects projections out to 2033 on 39 economic indicators for Botswana from a panel of 9 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 Datos económicos

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Población (millones) 2.3 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.5
PIB (en millones de dólares) 17 17 15 19 -
PIB per cápita (USD) 7,555 7,258 6,376 7,814 -
PIB (BWP bn) 174 180 172 208 -
Crecimiento económico (PIB nominal, var. anual) 4.2 3.6 -4.6 21.2 -
Crecimiento económico (PIB, var. anual) 4.2 3.0 -8.7 11.8 -
Demanda interna (% var. anual) 5.2 7.1 -0.2 2.4 -
Consumo privado (% var. anual) 5.4 3.1 2.6 2.4 -
Consumo público (var. anual) 2.2 10.3 4.0 4.0 -
Inversión fija (% var. anual) 8.6 10.2 -9.2 0.3 -
Exportaciones (G&S, % var. anual) 11.9 -8.8 -18.6 31.7 -
Importaciones (G&S, % var. anual) 15.9 11.6 5.0 2.3 -
Desempleo (% de la población activa, aop) 22.1 22.6 24.9 24.7 -
Saldo fiscal (% del PIB) -5.0 -8.5 -11.1 -2.6 -1.5
Deuda pública (% del PIB) 14.9 16.5 19.0 19.5 21.3
Dinero (var. anual de M2 %) 8.3 8.0 5.9 5.0 -
Inflación (IPC, % var. anual, eop) 3.5 2.2 2.2 8.7 12.4
Inflación (IPC, % var. anual, aop) 3.2 2.8 1.9 6.7 12.2
Tipo de interés bancario (%, eop) 4.75 4.75 3.75 3.75 2.65
Tipo de cambio (BWP por USD, eop) 10.73 10.58 10.80 11.76 12.75
Tipo de cambio (BWP por USD, aop) 10.20 10.76 11.45 11.09 12.38
Balanza por cuenta corriente (en millones de dólares) 0.1 -1.2 -1.3 -0.1 -
Balanza por cuenta corriente (% del PIB) 0.4 -6.9 -8.6 -0.5 -
Balanza comercial de mercancías (en millones de USD) 0.5 -1.1 -2.0 -0.6 -
Exportaciones de mercancías (en millones de dólares) 6.6 5.3 4.3 7.3 -
Importaciones de mercancías (en millones de dólares) 6.1 6.3 6.3 8.0 -
Exportaciones de mercancías (% var. anual) 10.5 -20.2 -18.3 70.9 -
Importaciones de mercancías (% var. anual) 18.5 3.6 -0.9 27.1 -
Inversión extranjera directa (en millones de dólares) 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.1 -
Reservas internacionales (en millones de dólares) 7 6 5 5 -
Reservas internacionales (meses de importaciones) 13.1 11.7 9.5 7.2 -
Deuda externa (en millones de dólares) 1.8 1.6 1.6 2.0 -
Deuda externa (% del PIB) 10.5 9.4 10.7 10.6 -

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