Central government spending as share of GDP in Botswana
Botswana: Central government spending as share of GDP was 26.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Central government spending as share of GDP in Botswana, 1990–2024
Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF), OECD, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Botswana recorded 26.5% for central government spending as share of gdp in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 11.0% on the previous year and down 8.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, central government spending as share of gdp in Botswana peaked at 39.2% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 23.9%, in 2023.
That places Botswana 77th out of 157 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 29.5% | 26.7% | 32.6% | 7 |
| 2000s | 33.9% | 29.3% | 39.2% | 4 |
| 2010s | 29.7% | 26.8% | 33.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.6% | 23.9% | 33.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More economy & growth data for Botswana
- External balance on goods and services as a percent of GDP -5.5% (2025)
- Inflation of consumer prices 2.7% (2025)
- GDP per capita 6,791 constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- Share of manufacturing in gross domestic product (GDP) 5.7% (2025)
- Gross domestic product (GDP) 17.40 billion constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- GDP per capita in international and market dollars 6,791 constant 2015 US$ (2025)
- DEC alternative conversion factor 13.5 LCU per US$ (2025)
- Net secondary income (Net current transfers from abroad) 28.00 billion current LCU (2024)
- Net secondary income (Net current transfers from abroad) 2.06 billion current US$ (2024)
- Taxes less subsidies on products 15.36 billion current LCU (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is central government spending as share of gdp in Botswana?
- Central government spending as share of gdp in Botswana was 26.5% in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF), OECD, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest central government spending as share of gdp recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 39.2% in 2009.
- What is the lowest central government spending as share of gdp recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.9% in 2023.
- How does Botswana rank for central government spending as share of gdp?
- Botswana ranks 77th out of 157 countries with data for 2024.
- Is central government spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (IMF), OECD, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Central government spending as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central government expense (cash payments for operating activities of the government in providing goods and services), as share of GDP. It excludes capital investment, such as infrastructure or equipment.