Botswana's unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) was 24.48% in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 5.56 percentage points from 18.92% in 2015.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 24.48% | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 21.02% | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 18.92% | 2015 |
| Highest | 24.48% | 2025 |
| Lowest | 13.82% | 1991 |
| Average since 2016 | 21.82% | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 13.82% | 1991 |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Botswana's unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) rose 0.67 percentage points on 2024 (from 23.81% to 24.48%).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.09 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.39 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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 rise was 2.74 percentage points in 2002 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.64 percentage points in 1999. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.65 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 92% 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.
A straight-line projection, tested first
Extending that straight line gives about 26.33% for 2028. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2023 to 2025 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.17%, against 0.43% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.
See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.
How it compares
In 2025, Botswana had the 4th highest value of the 182 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Botswana | 24.48% | 2025 |
| World | 4.79% | 2025 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 5.66% | 2025 |
| Upper middle income | 5.18% | 2025 |
Closest to Botswana in the 2025 ranking
- Eswatini — 1st of 182: 34.2%
- South Africa — 2nd of 182: 32.39%
- Djibouti — 3rd of 182: 26.02%
- Gabon — 5th of 182: 20.15%
- Congo, Rep. — 6th of 182: 19.88%
- Namibia — 7th of 182: 19.29%
What this measures
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.
Limitations: While the unemployment rate may be considered the most informative labour market indicator, reflecting the general performance of the labour market and the economy as a whole, it should not be interpreted as a measure of economic hardship or of well-being. When based on the internationally-recommended standards, the unemployment rate simply reflects the proportion of the labour force that does not have a job but is available and actively looking for work. It says nothing about the economic resources of unemployed workers or their family members. Its use should, therefore, be limited to serving as a measurement of the utilization of labour and an indication of the failure to find work.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 35 values
| Year | Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 24.48 |
| 2024 | 23.81 |
| 2023 | 23.38 |
| 2022 | 23.62 |
| 2021 | 23.11 |
| 2020 | 21.02 |
| 2019 | 20.09 |
| 2018 | 19.67 |
| 2017 | 19.67 |
| 2016 | 19.33 |
| 2015 |
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) in nearby economies
- Angola — 14.11% (2025)
- Benin — 1.59% (2025)
- Burkina Faso — 3.48% (2025)
- Burundi — 0.92% (2025)
- Cabo Verde — 11.94% (2025)
- Cameroon — 3.6% (2025)
- Central African Republic — 6.25% (2025)
- Chad — 1.06% (2025)
- Comoros
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, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate)?
- 24.48% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1991?
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: January 17, 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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