Botswana: Total reserves (% of total external debt)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Botswana's total reserves (% of total external debt) fell 68.63 percentage points on 2023 (from 217.71% to 149.08%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −13.31 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 342.07 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 821.38 percentage points in 2006 and the biggest yearly fall was 1,503.44 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 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 25.13 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 69% 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 2024, Botswana had the 7th highest value of the 96 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 2024 ranking

• Timor-Leste — 4th of 96: 262.58%
• Tonga — 5th of 96: 217.87%
• Nepal — 6th of 96: 156.09%
• China — 8th of 96: 142.82%
• Samoa — 9th of 96: 128.56%
• Thailand — 10th of 96: 123.51%

What this measures

Reserve assets are external assets, including monetary gold, that are readily available to and controlled by monetary authorities for meeting balance of payments financing needs, for intervention in exchange markets to affect the currency exchange rate, and for other related purposes (such as maintaining confidence in the currency and the economy, and serving as a basis for foreign borrowing). Reserve assets must be denominated and settled in foreign currency. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of total external debt which are all liabilities that require payment(s) of interest and/or principal by the debtor at some point(s) in the future and that are owed to non-residents by residents of an economy.

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

All 49 values

Total reserves (% of total external debt) in nearby economies

• Angola — 24.25% (2024)
• Burundi — 8.74% (2023)
• Cabo Verde — 33.19% (2024)
• Cameroon — 32.09% (2024)
• Central African Republic — 46.78% (2024)
• Chad — 46.22% (2024)
• Comoros — 84.02% (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 42.51% (2023)
• Congo, Rep. — 11.27% (2024)
• Eritrea — 24.6% (2019)

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 total reserves (% of total external debt)?

149.08% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1976?

It is up 105.6 percentage points from 43.48% in 1976. The highest value was 2,302% in 2007 and the lowest 43.48% in 1976.

How does Botswana rank?

7th highest of 96 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in total reserves (% of total external debt) unusual for Botswana?

In 2024, Botswana's total reserves (% of total external debt) fell 68.63 percentage points on 2023 (from 217.71% to 149.08%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −13.31 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 342.07 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FI.RES.TOTL.DT.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Debt Statistics, 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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