Botswana: Central government debt, total (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Botswana's central government debt, total (current LCU) rose 13.1% on 2022 (from 46.08 billion to 52.12 billion).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2022), the average change was +19.1% and a typical year strayed about 29.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below 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 137.7% in 2009 and the biggest yearly fall was 5.9% in 2017. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 2.94 billion a year. A straight line explains 80% 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.

Closest to Botswana in the 2023 ranking

• Kazakhstan — 1st of 5: 24.95 trillion
• Malawi — 2nd of 5: 9.59 trillion
• Iceland — 3rd of 5: 3.5 trillion
• Jordan — 5th of 5: 37.31 billion

What this measures

Debt is the entire stock of direct government fixed-term contractual obligations to others outstanding on a particular date. It includes domestic and foreign liabilities such as currency and money deposits, securities other than shares, and loans. It is the gross amount of government liabilities reduced by the amount of equity and financial derivatives held by the government. Because debt is a stock rather than a flow, it is measured as of a given date, usually the last day of the fiscal year. Central government is the part of general government that includes all administrative departments of the national executive, legislative, and judicial functions, other central agencies and those non-market producers controlled by the central government, whose competence extends normally over the whole economic territory. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

All 25 values

Central government debt, total (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Eswatini — 25.39 billion (2021)
• Ethiopia — 846.21 billion (2019)
• Lesotho — 1.01 billion (2020)
• Malawi — 9.59 trillion (2023)
• Mauritius — 296.83 billion (2019)
• South Africa — 6.09 trillion (2024)
• Zambia — 315.88 billion (2021)

More public sector data for Botswana

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 614.35 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 8.34 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 3.11% (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 8.94% (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 11 million (2024)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 9,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.92% (2020)
• Expense (current LCU) — 69.39 billion (2024)
• Expense (% of GDP) — 26.53% (2024)
• Net acquisition of financial assets (current LCU)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Botswana's central government debt, total (current LCU)?

52.12 billion in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 6,400% from 801.93 million in 1990 (13.48% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 52.12 billion in 2023 and the lowest 801.93 million in 1990.

Is the latest change in central government debt, total (current LCU) unusual for Botswana?

In 2023, Botswana's central government debt, total (current LCU) rose 13.1% on 2022 (from 46.08 billion to 52.12 billion). Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2022), the average change was +19.1% and a typical year strayed about 29.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.DOD.TOTL.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, 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.

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