Botswana — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Botswana: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Botswana is in Southern Africa, north of South Africa. It covers 581,730 sq km. Terrain: predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in southwest. Climate: semiarid; warm winters and hot summers.
| Capital | Gaborone |
|---|---|
| Population | 2,521,534 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $45.553 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $18,100 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | -3% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 2.8% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 23.2% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 19.6% of GDP (2020 est.) |
| Exports | $6.398 billion (2023 est.) |
| Imports | $7.228 billion (2023 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 66.4 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 25.8 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 72.9% of total population (2023) |
| Government | parliamentary republic |
| Independence | 30 September 1966 (from the UK) |
| 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.) |
Botswana’s GDP is $45.553 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $19.401 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew -3% (2024 est.). See where Botswana ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
Jul–Sep 2026 came and went without leaving a mark on the country's trajectory. Continuity, not change, is the story.
For a small or mid-sized state, that is often the good outcome: no shock to absorb, no crisis to manage.
- What our model rewards: public debt under 20% of GDP — room to maneuver; inflation tamed at 2.8%
- What drags it down: unemployment at 23.2%; only 0% of electricity from low-carbon sources
Diamonds, Copper, Nickel, Salt, Potash, Coal, Iron ore, Silver.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 75.9% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 99.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 32.443 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 23.6 TWh (2023) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 2.6 TWh (2023) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 9,508 kWh per person (2023) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Coal 95.8%, Oil 3.9%, Solar 0.4% (2023) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 0.4% (2023) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 849.4 gCO2/kWh (2023) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2023.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $6.398 billion (2023 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $7.228 billion (2023 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Deficit of $830.0 million (2023), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver; beef processing; textiles |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Duma Boko — President. President Duma BOKO (since 1 November 2024)
Botswana maintains 21 embassies and 1 consulates abroad, hosts 22 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, AU Addis Ababa, UN Geneva. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 21 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 1 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 22 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, AU Addis Ababa, UN Geneva |
Source: Consular Affairs Center, Diplomatic and Consular Networks Database and Rankings, January 2026 (Zenodo, CC BY 4.0). https://zenodo.org/records/18109976
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Landlocked — no seacoast; exports move through transit corridors across neighbouring countries. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 122 (registration prefix A2) |
| Railways | 888 km |
Major airports
Kasane International Airport (BBK) — Kasane; Maun International Airport (MUB) — Maun; Phillip Gaonwe Matante International Airport (FRW) — Francistown; Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (GBE) — Gaborone.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | parliamentary republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Botswana.
Historical timeline of Botswana
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Botswana — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Botswana's power score?
Botswana has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.