Botswana: Imports of goods and services (annual % growth)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Botswana's imports of goods and services (annual % growth) fell 35.38 percentage points on 2024 (from 16.38% to -18.99%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.38 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 19.75 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 39.83 percentage points in 1997 and the biggest yearly fall was 48.26 percentage points in 2009. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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 128th highest value of the 128 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

• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 124th of 128: -13.5%
• Brunei Darussalam — 125th of 128: -13.8%
• Venezuela, RB — 126th of 128: -16.88%
• Armenia — 128th of 128: -23.7%

What this measures

Imports of goods includes change in the economic ownership of goods from non-residents to residents of the compiling economy, irrespective of physical movement of goods across national borders. Imports of services includes services provided by non-residents to residents. This indicator denotes the percentage change over each previous year of the constant price (base year 2015) series in United States dollars.

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

All 50 values

Imports of goods and services (annual % growth) in nearby economies

• Angola — 2.7% (2024)
• Benin — 0.87% (2025)
• Burkina Faso — 7.42% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 3.2% (2025)
• Cameroon — 11.09% (2025)
• Central African Republic — 14.4% (2025)
• Chad — 11.77% (2025)
• Comoros — 3.41% (2025)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — -1.67% (2025)
• Congo, Rep.

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

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Questions people ask

What is Botswana's imports of goods and services (annual % growth)?

-18.99% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1976?

It is down 30.17 percentage points from 11.18% in 1976. The highest value was 39.68% in 2008 and the lowest -20.92% in 2016.

How does Botswana rank?

128th highest of 128 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in imports of goods and services (annual % growth) unusual for Botswana?

In 2025, Botswana's imports of goods and services (annual % growth) fell 35.38 percentage points on 2024 (from 16.38% to -18.99%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.38 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 19.75 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NE.IMP.GNFS.KD.ZG, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs); National Accounts data files, Central Banks; 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.

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