Botswana: Taxes on international trade (% of revenue)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Botswana's taxes on international trade (% of revenue) rose 13.92 percentage points on 2022 (from 18.7% to 32.61%).

Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2022), the average change was −0.28 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 6.54 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 13.92 percentage points in 2023 and the biggest yearly fall was 12.66 percentage points in 2021. 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 3% 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 2023, Botswana had the 1st highest value of the 15 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 2023 ranking

• Côte d'Ivoire — 2nd of 15: 25.51%
• Nepal — 3rd of 15: 16.58%
• Togo — 4th of 15: 15.32%

What this measures

Taxes on international trade are taxes that become payable when goods cross the national or customs frontiers of the economic territory or when transactions in services exchange between residents and non-residents. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of revenue which includes all transactions that add to the amount of economic value of a unit or sector.

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).

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

All 25 values

Taxes on international trade (% of revenue) in nearby economies

• Angola — 2.57% (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 16.64% (2024)
• Burundi — 9.99% (2021)
• Cabo Verde — 15.03% (2020)
• Cameroon — 11.24% (2021)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 6.54% (2022)
• Congo, Rep. — 6.64% (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 25.51% (2023)
• Equatorial Guinea — 1.13% (2022)
• Eswatini — 35.49% (2021)

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)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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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 taxes on international trade (% of revenue)?

32.61% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 19.68 percentage points from 12.94% in 1990. The highest value was 34.19% in 2012 and the lowest 12.26% in 1996.

How does Botswana rank?

1st highest of 15 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in taxes on international trade (% of revenue) unusual for Botswana?

In 2023, Botswana's taxes on international trade (% of revenue) rose 13.92 percentage points on 2022 (from 18.7% to 32.61%). Across the 22 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2022), the average change was −0.28 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 6.54 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.TAX.INTT.RV.ZS, 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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