Botswana: International tourism, expenditures (current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Botswana's international tourism, expenditures (current US$) fell 68.8% on 2019 (from US$294.7 million to US$91.8 million).

Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2019), the average change was +4.2% and a typical year strayed about 16.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 4.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 34.8% in 2000 and the biggest yearly fall was 68.8% in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2020 the straight-line trend is downward, about US$13.9 million a year. A straight line explains 41% 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 2020, Botswana had the 109th highest value of the 129 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 2020 ranking

• Nicaragua — 106th of 129: US$102 million
• Madagascar — 107th of 129: US$97 million
• Mozambique — 108th of 129: US$95 million
• Fiji — 110th of 129: US$77 million
• Namibia — 111th of 129: US$77 million
• Suriname — 112th of 129: US$64 million

What this measures

International tourism expenditures are expenditures of international outbound visitors in other countries, including payments to foreign carriers for international transport. These expenditures may include those by residents traveling abroad as same-day visitors, except in cases where these are important enough to justify separate classification. For some countries they do not include expenditures for passenger transport items. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

Limitations: Tourism can be either domestic or international. The data refers to international tourism, where the traveler's country of residence differs from the visiting country. International tourism consists of inbound (arrival) and outbound (departures) tourism. The data are from the World Tourism Organization (WTO), a United Nations agency. The data on inbound and outbound tourists refer to the number of arrivals and departures, not to the number of people traveling. Expenditure associated with the activity of international visitors has been traditionally identified with the travel item of the Balance of Payments (BOP).

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a gap-filled total.

All 26 values

International tourism, expenditures (current US$) in nearby economies

• Angola — US$691 million (2020)
• Benin — US$130 million (2019)
• Burkina Faso — US$185.2 million (2019)
• Cabo Verde — US$59 million (2020)
• Cameroon — US$697 million (2020)
• Comoros — US$43 million (2020)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — US$115 million (2018)
• Congo, Rep. — US$457 million (2016)
• Côte d'Ivoire — US$315 million (2020)
• Eswatini

More private sector & trade data for Botswana

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 57.78% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$6.4 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$5.12 billion (2025)
• Insurance and financial services (% of commercial service imports) — 0.57% (2025)
• Computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service imports) — 64.52% (2025)
• Commercial service imports (current US$) — US$1.3 billion (2025)
• Transport services (% of commercial service imports) — 25.54% (2025)
• Travel services (% of commercial service imports) — 9.37% (2025)
• Insurance and financial services (% of commercial service exports)

Reading data like this

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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Botswana's international tourism, expenditures (current US$)?

US$91.8 million in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1995?

It is down 40% from US$153 million in 1995 (2.02% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$332 million in 2012 and the lowest US$91.8 million in 2020.

How does Botswana rank?

109th highest of 129 economies with data for 2020.

Is the latest change in international tourism, expenditures (current US$) unusual for Botswana?

In 2020, Botswana's international tourism, expenditures (current US$) fell 68.8% on 2019 (from US$294.7 million to US$91.8 million). Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2019), the average change was +4.2% and a typical year strayed about 16.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 4.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator ST.INT.XPND.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism 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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