Military spending as a share of GDP in Botswana
Botswana: Military spending as a share of GDP was 2.5% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Latest (2019)
2.5%
Change on year
up 4.2%
World rank
29th
of 172 countries
All-time high
6.0%
in 1966
All-time low
1.3%
in 1977
Years of data
54
1966–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Botswana, 1966–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Botswana recorded 2.5% for military spending as a share of gdp in 2019.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.2% on the previous year and up 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Botswana peaked at 6.0% in 1966 and was at its lowest, 1.3%, in 1977.
That places Botswana 29th out of 172 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 54 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Botswana, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 6.0% | — |
| 1967 | 5.5% | -9.8% |
| 1968 | 5.1% | -7.2% |
| 1969 | 4.4% | -13.0% |
| 1970 | 3.9% | -12.4% |
| 1971 | 3.3% | -15.7% |
| 1972 | 2.6% | -19.7% |
| 1973 | 2.1% | -18.8% |
| 1974 | 1.7% | -18.3% |
| 1975 | 1.5% | -11.4% |
| 1976 | 1.4% | -8.3% |
| 1977 | 1.3% | -8.8% |
| 1978 | 1.6% | +22.9% |
| 1979 | 2.3% | +44.2% |
| 1980 | 2.7% | +20.9% |
| 1981 | 2.3% | -17.2% |
| 1982 | 2.0% | -10.6% |
| 1983 | 1.8% | -12.0% |
| 1984 | 1.5% | -13.7% |
| 1985 | 1.5% | -4.5% |
| 1986 | 1.7% | +12.1% |
| 1987 | 2.2% | +34.9% |
| 1988 | 2.6% | +18.4% |
| 1989 | 2.8% | +4.6% |
| 1990 | 2.7% | -2.0% |
| 1991 | 2.7% | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 3.0% | +13.1% |
| 1993 | 3.3% | +7.1% |
| 1994 | 3.3% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 3.2% | -2.7% |
| 1996 | 2.8% | -12.1% |
| 1997 | 2.9% | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 2.9% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 2.7% | -5.3% |
| 2000 | 2.6% | -3.3% |
| 2001 | 2.6% | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 2.6% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 2.7% | +5.1% |
| 2004 | 2.8% | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 2.4% | -14.8% |
| 2006 | 2.1% | -11.4% |
| 2007 | 2.1% | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 2.0% | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 2.3% | +16.7% |
| 2010 | 2.7% | +15.2% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | -13.0% |
| 2012 | 2.2% | -7.6% |
| 2013 | 1.8% | -14.8% |
| 2014 | 1.7% | -5.5% |
| 2015 | 1.9% | +9.2% |
| 2016 | 2.2% | +14.5% |
| 2017 | 2.3% | +6.8% |
| 2018 | 2.4% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 2.5% | +4.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.2% | 4.4% | 6.0% | 4 |
| 1970s | 2.2% | 1.3% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.1% | 1.5% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.9% | 2.7% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.4% | 2.0% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 1.7% | 2.7% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
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)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), annual growth 3.27 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.9429 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current US$), per capita 7,334 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), annual growth 2.8 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per unit of GDP 12.73 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per capita 99,027 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), annual -0.8348 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), per unit 0.8363 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Botswana?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Botswana was 2.5% in 2019, according to Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 6.0% in 1966.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.3% in 1977.
- How does Botswana rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Botswana ranks 29th out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Military spending measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).