Botswana

parliamentary republic

name: Gaborone geographic coordinates: 24 38 S, 25 54 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: named after GABORONE (ca. 1825-1931), a chief of the Tlokwa tribe, whose name means "it is not unbecoming"

chief of state: President Duma BOKO (since 1 November 2024) head of government: President Duma BOKO (since 1 November 2024) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president election/appointment process: president indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); vice president appointed by the president most recent election date: 31 October 2024 election results: BOKO's UDC won 35 seats in the National Assembly, which then selected BOKO as president expected date of next election: October 2029

legislature name: Parliament legislative structure: unicameral chamber name: National Assembly number of seats: 69 (61 directly elected; 6 indirectly elected) electoral system: plurality/majority scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 5 years most recent election date: 10/30/2024 parties elected and seats per party: Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) (36); Botswana Congress Party (BCP) (15); Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) (5); Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) (4); Other (1) percentage of women in chamber: 9% expected date of next election: October 2029 note: the House of Chiefs (Ntlo ya Dikgosi), an advisory body to the National Assembly, consists of 35 members -- 8 hereditary chiefs from Botswana's principal tribes, 22 indirectly elected by the chiefs, and 5 appointed by the president; the House of Chiefs consults on issues including powers of chiefs, customary courts, customary law, tribal property, and constitutional amendments

highest court(s): Court of Appeal, High Court (each consists of a chief justice and a number of other judges as prescribed by the Parliament) judge selection and term of office: Court of Appeal and High Court chief justices appointed by the president and other judges appointed by the president upon the advice of the Judicial Service Commission; all judges appointed to serve until age 70 subordinate courts: Industrial Court (with circuits scheduled monthly in the capital city and in 3 districts); Magistrates Courts (1 in each district); Customary Court of Appeal; Paramount Chief's Court/Urban Customary Court; Senior Chief's Representative Court; Chief's Representative’s Court; Headman's Court

history: previous 1960 (pre-independence); latest adopted March 1965, effective 30 September 1966 amendment process: proposed by the National Assembly; passage requires approval in two successive Assembly votes with at least two-thirds majority in the final vote; proposals to amend constitutional provisions on fundamental rights and freedoms, the structure and branches of government, and public services also requires approval by majority vote in a referendum and assent by the president of the republic

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, CD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

3% of GDP (2024 est.) 2.6% of GDP (2023 est.) 2.8% of GDP (2022 est.) 3% of GDP (2021 est.) 3% of GDP (2020 est.)

Botswana Defense Force (BDF): Ground Forces Command, Air Arm Command, Defense Logistics Command (2025) note 1: both the BDF and the Botswana Police Service (BPS) report to the Ministry of Defense, Justice and Security; the BPS has primary responsibility for internal security note 2: the Ground Force Command includes a marine unit with boats and river craft for patrolling Botswana's internal waterways and supporting anti-poaching operations

18-24 years of age (men and women) for general recruits and officer candidates; 18-40 for special entrant officers; no conscription (2025)

the key responsibilities of the Botswana Defense Force (BDF) are defending the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity on land and in the air, ensuring national security and stability, and aiding civil authorities in support of domestic missions such as disaster relief and anti-poaching; the BDF also participates in regional and international security operations Bechuanaland/Botswana did not have a permanent military during colonial times, with the British colonial administrators relying instead on small, lightly armed constabularies such as the Bechuanaland Mounted Police, the Bechuanaland Border Police, and by the early 1960s, the Police Mobile Unit (PMU); after independence in 1966, Botswana militarized the PMU and gave it responsibility for the country s defense rather than create a conventional military force; however, turmoil in neighboring countries and numerous cross-border incursions by Rhodesian and South African security forces in the 1960s and 1970s demonstrated that the PMU was inadequate for defending the country and led to the establishment of the BDF in 1977 (2025)

$45.553 billion (2024 est.) $46.957 billion (2023 est.) $45.498 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$18,100 (2024 est.) $18,900 (2023 est.) $18,600 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

-3% (2024 est.) 3.2% (2023 est.) 5.5% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

2.8% (2024 est.) 5.1% (2023 est.) 11.7% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

19.6% of GDP (2020 est.) note: central government debt as a % of GDP

$6.398 billion (2023 est.) $8.914 billion (2022 est.) $7.861 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$7.228 billion (2023 est.) $8.826 billion (2022 est.) $9.25 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

23.2% (2024 est.) 23.4% (2023 est.) 23.7% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $5.474 billion (2024 est.) expenditures: $6.296 billion (2024 est.) note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver; beef processing; textiles

root vegetables, beef, vegetables, sorghum, maize, game meat, milk, watermelons, goat milk, sunflower seeds (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 2,521,534 (2025 est.) male: 1,234,898 female: 1,286,636

1.32% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 28.7% (male 355,583/female 348,863) 15-64 years: 65.2% (male 759,210/female 837,752) 65 years and over: 6.1% (2024 est.) (male 59,513/female 89,747)

21.16 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

6.8 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-1.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 66.4 years (2024 est.) male: 64.4 years female: 68.6 years

urban population: 72.9% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 2.47% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other, including Kgalagadi and people of European ancestry 7%

Setswana 77.3%, Sekalanga 7.4%, Shekgalagadi 3.4%, English (official) 2.8%, Zezuru/Shona 2%, Sesarwa 1.7%, Sembukushu 1.6%, Ndebele 1%, other 2.8% (2011 est.)

Christian 79.1%, Badimo 4.1%, other 1.4% (includes Baha'i, Hindu, Muslim, Rastafarian), none 15.2%, unspecified 0.3% (2011 est.)

diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore, silver

refugees: 823 (2024 est.) IDPs: 99 (2023 est.)

122 (2025)

total: 888 km (2014) narrow gauge: 888 km (2014) 1.067-m gauge

total subscriptions: 4.13 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 164 (2024 est.)

percent of population: 81% (2023 est.)