Nominal GDP
$19.93B
current US$ · 2025
World Bank
🇧🇼
Economy Snapshot
Botswana Economy and Trade
GaboroneLocal time
GDP $19.93B · real growth -0.7% · 2025
The current profile places Botswana's nominal GDP at $19.93B in 2025 and shows real GDP growth of -0.7% for 2025. The per-person GDP figure is $7,778 (2025); the CPI series shows 2.7% for 2025. Reference years remain attached to each series so readers can compare the figures without treating differently dated measures as one snapshot.
GDP per capita
$7,778
current US$ · 2025
World Bank
Real GDP growth
-0.7%
annual % · 2025
World Bank
Inflation
2.7%
CPI annual % · 2025
Source listed below
Botswana at a Glance
Definitions and reference periods stay visible so nominal output, real growth, prices, jobs and trade are not silently mixed.
Output trend
Nominal GDP · annual observations · current US$ · World Bank
2015: $13.53B2016: $15.08B2017: $16.11B2018: $17.03B2019: $16.73B2020: $14.96B2021: $18.75B2022: $20.32B2023: $19.41B2024: $19.29B2025: $19.93B
GDP per capita$7,778
Real growth-0.7%
Reference year2025
2025 Inflation
2.7%
CPI annual %
2025 Unemployment
24.5%
labor-market measure
2025 GDP per capita
$7,778.1
current US$
Macro signals and Merchandise trade
Available measures are shown with their reported reference periods.
Macro signals
World Bank · 2025 unless marked
Real growth-0.7%
Unemployment24.5%
Inflation20252.7%
Merchandise trade
WTO trade profile · 2024 · USD
Exports$3.42B
Imports$6.99B
Balance-$3.56B
Largest highlighted export destination
United Arab Emirates26.5%
Merchandise trade is kept separate from goods-and-services measures.
Understand the numbers
What Botswana's economic profile is telling you
Botswana's economy contracted slightly in 2025 in the latest World Bank data, while modeled unemployment remained very high. Inflation was comparatively contained, showing why the labor market and output picture should be read separately from consumer prices.
Diamonds remain central to merchandise exports. The 2024 WTO profile shows non-industrial diamonds as the largest export product, while the United Arab Emirates was the largest destination and South Africa dominated the import side.
Reading the headline data
GDP shows the current-dollar size of the economy, while real growth measures changes in output after accounting for price effects. Inflation and unemployment add separate information about household prices and labor conditions.
Reading the trade data
Merchandise exports and imports cover traded goods. They are not combined with services trade or treated as a current-account measure.
Detailed Economic Data
| Indicator | Botswana | Reference period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| GDPcurrent US$, market prices | $19.93B | 2025 | Actual |
| GDP per capitacurrent US$ | $7,778.1 | 2025 | Actual |
| Real GDP growthannual % | -0.7% | 2025 | Actual |
| InflationCPI, annual % | 2.7% | 2025 | Actual |
| Unemploymentmodeled ILO estimate | 24.5% | 2025 | Estimate |
| Merchandise exportscurrent USD | $3.42B | 2024 | Actual |
| Merchandise importscurrent USD | $6.99B | 2024 | Actual |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Botswana's GDP?
Nominal GDP was about $19.93B in 2025 in current US dollars according to the World Bank.
Is Botswana's economy growing?
Real GDP growth was -0.7% in 2025.
What is inflation in Botswana?
The annual CPI reading used here is 2.7% for 2025.
What does merchandise trade show for Botswana?
Merchandise exports were $3.42B and imports were $6.99B in 2024, producing a same-year goods balance of -$3.56B.
Sources & methodology
Sources for the economic indicators and definitions shown above.
View sources used for this page
GDP, GDP per capita, real GDP growth, consumer-price inflation and modeled ILO unemployment.
Official data: GDP · GDP per capita · Real growth · Inflation · Unemployment
Matched-year merchandise exports and imports from the WTO economy profile.
Official data: WTO country profile
Every metric keeps its definition and reference year. A missing value is preferable to a silently mixed definition.