Central government debt, total in Botswana
Botswana: Central government debt, total was 19.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Central government debt, total in Botswana, 1990–2023
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Botswana recorded 19.7% for central government debt, total in 2023.
That represents a change of up 7.7% on the previous year and up 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, central government debt, total in Botswana peaked at 21.9% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 5.9%, in 2007.
Botswana ranks 78th of 83 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Central government debt, total in Botswana, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 11.4% | — |
| 1991 | 12.1% | +6.6% |
| 1992 | 12.5% | +3.4% |
| 1993 | 12.4% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 12.0% | -3.2% |
| 1995 | 11.0% | -8.9% |
| 1996 | 11.2% | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 6.0% | -46.0% |
| 2007 | 5.9% | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 8.0% | +34.7% |
| 2009 | 19.3% | +140.5% |
| 2010 | 21.9% | +13.7% |
| 2011 | 21.1% | -3.7% |
| 2012 | 20.6% | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 19.0% | -7.8% |
| 2014 | 18.3% | -3.6% |
| 2015 | 19.1% | +4.2% |
| 2016 | 15.8% | -17.2% |
| 2017 | 14.7% | -7.1% |
| 2018 | 15.2% | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 16.2% | +6.3% |
| 2020 | 19.6% | +21.1% |
| 2021 | 19.7% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 18.3% | -6.9% |
| 2023 | 19.7% | +7.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.8% | 11.0% | 12.5% | 7 |
| 2000s | 9.8% | 5.9% | 19.3% | 4 |
| 2010s | 18.2% | 14.7% | 21.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.3% | 18.3% | 19.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
- 75 Guatemala 25.2% compare
- 76 Switzerland 22.3% compare
- 77 Kazakhstan 20.9% compare
- 79 Russian Federation 17.9% compare
- 80 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 14.9% compare
- 81 Chile 13.1% compare
More economy & growth data for Botswana
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.52 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.98 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0569 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per capita 442.67 current US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 0.7684 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per capita 5,977 current LCU per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.0526 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per capita 408.79 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 4,250 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual -0.9223 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is central government debt, total in Botswana?
- Central government debt, total in Botswana was 19.7% in 2023, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest central government debt, total recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 21.9% in 2010.
- What is the lowest central government debt, total recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.9% in 2007.
- How does Botswana rank for central government debt, total?
- Botswana ranks 78th out of 83 countries with data for 2023.
- Is central government debt, total rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Central government debt, total (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Debt is the entire stock of direct government fixed-term contractual obligations to others outstanding on a particular date. It includes domestic and foreign liabilities such as currency and money deposits, securities other than shares, and loans. It is the gross amount of government liabilities reduced by the amount of equity and financial derivatives held by the government. Because debt is a stock rather than a flow, it is measured as of a given date, usually the last day of the fiscal year. Central government is the part of general government that includes all administrative departments of the national executive, legislative, and judicial functions, other central agencies and those non-market producers controlled by the central government, whose competence extends normally over the whole economic territory. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.