Botswana: Bank liquid reserves to bank assets ratio (%)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Botswana's bank liquid reserves to bank assets ratio (%) rose 0.34 percentage points on 2024 (from 4.85% to 5.18%).

Across the 23 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2024), the average change was −1.11 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 15.93 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 59.35 percentage points in 2006 and the biggest yearly fall was 27.84 percentage points in 2011. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is downward, about 1.72 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 74% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2025, Botswana had the 101st highest value of the 109 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Botswana in the 2025 ranking

• Ecuador — 97th of 109: 5.58%
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 98th of 109: 5.38%
• New Zealand — 99th of 109: 5.29%
• Macao SAR, China — 101st of 109: 5.05%
• Malaysia — 102nd of 109: 4.74%
• Namibia — 103rd of 109: 4.68%

What this measures

Ratio of bank liquid reserves to bank assets is the ratio of domestic currency holdings and deposits with the monetary authorities to claims on other governments, nonfinancial public enterprises, the private sector, and other banking institutions. This indicator is expressed as a percentage (a÷b)*100.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.

All 25 values

Bank liquid reserves to bank assets ratio (%) in nearby economies

• Angola — 36.53% (2025)
• Benin — 6.48% (2025)
• Burkina Faso — 10.7% (2025)
• Burundi — 13.96% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 44.54% (2025)
• Cameroon — 22.79% (2019)
• Central African Republic — 12.22% (2022)
• Chad — 15.45% (2021)
• Comoros — 47.03% (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep.

More financial sector data for Botswana

• GDP deflator (base year varies by country) — 136.44 (2025)
• DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) — US$13.5 (2025)
• Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) — US$13.5 (2025)
• Inflation, GDP deflator (annual % growth) — 3.63% (2025)
• Domestic credit to private sector by banks (% of GDP) — 33.12% (2025)
• Monetary sector credit to private sector (% of GDP) — 33.23% (2025)
• Domestic credit to private sector (% of GDP) — 33.23% (2025)
• Consumer price index (2010 = 100) — 202.64 (2025)
• Inflation, consumer prices (annual % growth) — 2.66% (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Botswana's bank liquid reserves to bank assets ratio (%)?

5.18% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2001?

It is down 25.23 percentage points from 30.41% in 2001. The highest value was 102.28% in 2006 and the lowest 4.85% in 2024.

How does Botswana rank?

101st highest of 109 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in bank liquid reserves to bank assets ratio (%) unusual for Botswana?

In 2025, Botswana's bank liquid reserves to bank assets ratio (%) rose 0.34 percentage points on 2024 (from 4.85% to 5.18%). Across the 23 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2024), the average change was −1.11 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 15.93 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FD.RES.LIQU.AS.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.