Botswana's unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) was 26.4% in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 4.52 percentage points from 21.88% in 2019.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 26.4% | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | 21.88% | 2019 |
| Highest | 30.82% | 1985 |
| Lowest | 17.18% | 1991 |
| Average since 2019 | 24.93% | 2019–2024 |
| First recorded | 30.82% | 1985 |
Over five years it is up 4.52 percentage points from 21.88% in 2019. Since 1985 it is down 4.43 percentage points from 30.82% in 1985. The World Bank has no value for 21 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.
What the numbers say
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 6.65 percentage points in 2001 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.49 percentage points in 2024. 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 2024, Botswana had the 2nd highest value of the 22 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
- South Africa — 1st of 22: 34.45%
- Jordan — 3rd of 22: 25.01%
- Kosovo — 4th of 22: 18.25%
- Malawi — 5th of 22: 18%
What this measures
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.
Limitations: The criteria for people considered to be seeking work, and the treatment of people temporarily laid off or seeking work for the first time, vary across countries. In many cases it is especially difficult to measure employment and unemployment in agriculture. The timing of a survey can maximize the effects of seasonal unemployment in agriculture. And informal sector employment is difficult to quantify where informal activities are not tracked.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 19 values
| Year | Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 26.4 |
| 2023 | 26.89 |
| 2022 | 25.93 |
| 2021 | 25.94 |
| 2020 | 22.56 |
| 2019 | 21.88 |
| 2018 | no data |
| 2017 | no data |
| 2016 | no data |
| 2015 | no data |
| 2014 |
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate) in nearby economies
More social protection & labor data for Botswana
- Net migration — -5,665 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 847 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 384 (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 38.07% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 45.73% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 41.91% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 66.73% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Botswana's unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (national estimate)?
- 26.4% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1985?
- It is down 4.43 percentage points from 30.82% in 1985. The highest value was 30.82% in 1985 and the lowest 17.18% in 1991.
- How does Botswana rank?
- 2nd highest of 22 economies with data for 2024.
- Where does this data come from?
- The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.FE.NE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026 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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