Botswana: Gross capital formation (constant LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Botswana's gross capital formation (constant LCU) rose 14% on 2023 (from 56.66 billion to 64.6 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +13.8% and a typical year strayed about 40% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 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 195.5% in 2008 and the biggest yearly fall was 31.2% in 1987. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 2.58 billion a year. A straight line explains 78% 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.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 67.42 billion for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 6.01 billion, against 7.63 billion for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2024, Botswana had the 10th highest value of the 31 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 2024 ranking

• Lebanon — 7th of 31: 123.03 billion
• Bhutan — 8th of 31: 94.68 billion
• New Zealand — 9th of 31: 80.47 billion
• Bolivia — 11th of 31: 58.1 billion
• Vanuatu — 12th of 31: 40.35 billion
• Ghana — 13th of 31: 31.85 billion

What this measures

Gross capital formation includes acquisitions less disposals of produced assets for purposes of fixed capital formation, inventories or valuables. This indicator is expressed in constant prices, meaning the series has been adjusted to account for price changes over time. The reference year for this adjustment varies by country. This series is expressed in local currency units.

All 50 values

Gross capital formation (constant LCU) in nearby economies

• Angola — 2.64 trillion (2024)
• Benin — 3.53 trillion (2025)
• Burkina Faso — 3.1 trillion (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 55.5 billion (2025)
• Cameroon — 5.49 trillion (2025)
• Central African Republic — 110.67 billion (2025)
• Chad — 2.14 trillion (2025)
• Comoros — 100.52 billion (2025)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 6.22 trillion (2025)
• Congo, Rep. — 1.47 trillion (2025)

More economic policy & debt data for Botswana

• General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$6.27 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU) — 84.72 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) — 31.48% (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$9.12 billion (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (current LCU) — 123.17 billion (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) — 45.77% (2025)
• Final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$15.4 billion (2025)
• Final consumption expenditure (current LCU) — 207.88 billion (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 gross capital formation (constant LCU)?

64.6 billion in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1975?

It is up 5,994% from 1.06 billion in 1975 (8.75% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 64.6 billion in 2024 and the lowest 897.96 million in 1976.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NE.GDI.TOTL.KN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks; National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB) 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.