Total debt service in Botswana

Botswana: Total debt service was 4.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
4.7%
Change on year
up 28.7%
World rank
105th
of 120 countries
All-time high
5.4%
in 1985
All-time low
0.7%
in 2014
Years of data
50
1975–2024

Total debt service in Botswana, 1975–2024

12345197519992024

Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of exports of goods, services and primary income.

Analysis

In 2024, total debt service in Botswana stood at 4.7%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 28.7% on the previous year and up 601.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, total debt service in Botswana peaked at 5.4% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 0.7%, in 2014.

Botswana ranks 105th of 120 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 50 years of available data.

Total debt service in Botswana, year by year

Annual values for Total debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income) in Botswana, 1975 to 2024.
Year % of exports of goods, services and primary income Change
1975 3.2%
1976 1.6% -51.6%
1977 1.9% +21.6%
1978 2.5% +30.2%
1979 1.6% -34.5%
1980 1.9% +17.4%
1981 1.6% -14.7%
1982 2.2% +39.2%
1983 3.0% +33.9%
1984 3.7% +23.5%
1985 5.4% +44.1%
1986 4.3% -20.5%
1987 3.9% -9.0%
1988 4.2% +9.6%
1989 3.3% -21.3%
1990 4.3% +30.2%
1991 3.4% -20.8%
1992 3.9% +13.3%
1993 3.6% -7.4%
1994 4.0% +10.9%
1995 3.1% -21.5%
1996 5.2% +66.6%
1997 2.8% -46.1%
1998 2.6% -8.1%
1999 2.2% -16.6%
2000 2.0% -6.1%
2001 1.7% -15.8%
2002 2.0% +14.1%
2003 1.2% -37.0%
2004 1.0% -16.0%
2005 0.9% -9.7%
2006 1.0% +3.5%
2007 0.7% -25.3%
2008 1.2% +63.0%
2009 1.0% -11.4%
2010 1.4% +33.9%
2011 1.1% -24.3%
2012 0.9% -16.3%
2013 2.1% +142.2%
2014 0.7% -68.6%
2015 3.3% +394.5%
2016 2.0% -40.5%
2017 2.4% +23.4%
2018 2.4% -3.4%
2019 3.0% +27.8%
2020 3.8% +24.4%
2021 2.0% -46.3%
2022 1.9% -4.2%
2023 3.7% +90.0%
2024 4.7% +28.7%

Botswana compared with similar countries

  • Botswana's 4.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 14.4%, 33% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
  • Botswana's 4.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 11.8%, 40% of the median. (44 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Total debt service in Botswana changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2015 +394.5% 0.7% 3.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 2.1% 1.6% 3.2% 5
1980s 3.4% 1.6% 5.4% 10
1990s 3.5% 2.2% 5.2% 10
2000s 1.3% 0.7% 2.0% 10
2010s 1.9% 0.7% 3.3% 10
2020s 3.2% 1.9% 4.7% 5

Countries ranked near Botswana

  1. 102 Mali 6.2% compare
  2. 103 Grenada 4.9% compare
  3. 104 Saint Lucia 4.7% compare
  4. 106 Thailand 4.7% compare
  5. 107 Eritrea 4.3% compare
  6. 108 Guinea 3.7% compare

See the full ranking of 132 places →

More economy & growth data for Botswana

All data for Botswana →

Frequently asked questions

What is total debt service in Botswana?
Total debt service in Botswana was 4.7% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
What is the highest total debt service recorded in Botswana?
The highest recorded value was 5.4% in 1985.
What is the lowest total debt service recorded in Botswana?
The lowest recorded value was 0.7% in 2014.
How does Botswana rank for total debt service?
Botswana ranks 105th out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
Is total debt service rising or falling in Botswana?
Over the last ten years it is up 601.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Botswana data come from?
The figures come from International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as part of Total debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Total debt service in Botswana. Statizoid, drawing on International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/total-debt-service-percent-of-exports-of-goods-services-and-primary-income/botswana/

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About this data

Indicator
Total debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income)
Unit
% of exports of goods, services and primary income
Source
International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
132 places, 5,268 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

Total debt service to exports of goods, services and primary income. Total debt service is the sum of principal repayments and interest actually paid in currency, goods, or services on long-term debt, interest paid on short-term debt, and repayments (repurchases and charges) to the IMF.