Botswana: Taxes on exports (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Botswana's taxes on exports (current LCU) fell 54.2% on 2022 (from 2.71 million to 1.24 million).

Across the 19 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2022), the average change was +25% and a typical year strayed about 80% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 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 275% in 2008 and the biggest yearly fall was 62.8% 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 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 8 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.

Closest to Botswana in the 2023 ranking

• Togo — 5th of 8: 1 billion
• Nepal — 6th of 8: 350.12 million
• Vanuatu — 7th of 8: 1.98 million

What this measures

Export taxes are taxes on goods or services that become payable to government when the goods leave the economic territory or when the services are delivered to non-residents. 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 23 values

Taxes on exports (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Angola — 82.32 billion (2024)
• Burundi — 253.74 million (2021)
• Cameroon — 38.51 billion (2021)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 31.66 billion (2022)
• Congo, Rep. — 8.33 billion (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 995.2 billion (2023)
• Equatorial Guinea — 3.16 billion (2022)
• Eswatini — 6,860 (2018)
• Ethiopia — 4.68 million (2024)
• Ghana — 268.53 million (2016)
• Namibia — 560.05 million (2024)

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)

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Questions people ask

What is Botswana's taxes on exports (current LCU)?

1.24 million in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 181.82% from 440,000 in 1990 (3.19% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 2.71 million in 2022 and the lowest 300,000 in 1996.

Is the latest change in taxes on exports (current LCU) unusual for Botswana?

In 2023, Botswana's taxes on exports (current LCU) fell 54.2% on 2022 (from 2.71 million to 1.24 million). Across the 19 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2022), the average change was +25% and a typical year strayed about 80% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 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.TAX.EXPT.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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