Botswana: Rail lines (total route-km)

Key figures

Over five years it is unchanged at from 886 in 2016. Since 1995 it is down 8.75% from 971 in 1995 (0.35% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 13 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2021, Botswana's rail lines (total route-km) did not change 0% on 2020 (from 886 to 886).

Across the 10 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2020), the average change was −0.9% and a typical year strayed about 2.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 fall was 8.5% in 1996. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

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

How it compares

In 2021, Botswana had the 50th highest value of the 61 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 2021 ranking

• Georgia — 47th of 61: 1,387
• Slovenia — 48th of 61: 1,209
• Moldova — 49th of 61: 1,149
• Cameroon — 51st of 61: 884
• Mauritania — 52nd of 61: 728
• Armenia — 53rd of 61: 698.4

What this measures

The total length of rail line in the country operated for passenger transport, goods transport, or both.

Limitations: Data for transport sectors are not always internationally comparable. Unlike for demographic statistics, national income accounts, and international trade data, the collection of infrastructure data has not been "internationalized". The data from UIC is based on voluntary reporting by railway companies, and can show drastic increases or decreases for some of the years due to lack of reporting by some of the companies in that country.

All 14 values

Rail lines (total route-km) in nearby economies

• Burkina Faso — 518 (2021)
• Cameroon — 884 (2021)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 3,641 (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 639 (2021)
• Gabon — 648 (2021)
• Madagascar — 673 (2021)
• Mauritania — 728 (2021)
• Nigeria — 3,528 (2015)
• Sudan — 2,747 (2020)
• Tanzania — 2,701 (2017)

More infrastructure data for Botswana

• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 83,182 (2024)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 3.3 (2024)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions — 4.13 million (2024)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 164 (2024)
• Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide — 4,264 (2023)
• Air transport, passengers carried — 172,720 (2023)
• Air transport, freight (million ton-km) — 0.28 (2023)
• ICT service exports (BoP, current US$) — US$16.46 million (2025)
• ICT service exports (% of service exports, BoP) — 1.56% (2025)
• Medium and high-tech exports (% manufactured exports)

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Questions people ask

What is Botswana's rail lines (total route-km)?

886 in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1995?

It is down 8.75% from 971 in 1995 (0.35% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 971 in 1995 and the lowest 886 in 2015.

How does Botswana rank?

50th highest of 61 economies with data for 2021.

Is the latest change in rail lines (total route-km) unusual for Botswana?

In 2021, Botswana's rail lines (total route-km) did not change 0% on 2020 (from 886 to 886). Across the 10 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2020), the average change was −0.9% and a typical year strayed about 2.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations above 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?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator IS.RRS.TOTL.KM, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Railisa Database, International Union of Railways (UIC), uri: https://uic-stats.uic.org/ 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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