Every figure below carries its named source and year. The Eco Index scores twelve pillars on the same scale everywhere; seven are measured from published data with fixed thresholds, five are assessed from the named sources.
Botswana at a Glance.
The score, and the four numbers that set the tone. 12 equally-weighted pillars, every pillar sourced.
Compare with:
Renewable power
0%
of electricity
Food imported
16%
of merchandise imports · ~US$1,036m a year
The Eco Index across 12 pillars · scored 0 to 5 · World Bank, OWID, WHO/UNICEF JMP, FiBL, Protected Planet, IUCN, UNESCO (2023-24)
Water
Food & farming
Plant-based
Organic
Conservation
Wildlife
Materials
Pollution
Recycling
Energy
Culture
Heritage
Facts That Surprise People About Botswana.
The numbers and firsts that change how you see Botswana, the sobering and the remarkable. Every one is dated and linked to its source.
SoberingHealth
About one in six adults lives with HIV
In 2024, 15.7% of people aged 15 to 49 in Botswana were living with HIV, according to World Bank data from UNAIDS.
SoberingFood
Almost one in five people is undernourished
In 2024, 18.2% of Botswana's population did not get enough food to meet their energy needs, according to World Bank data from the FAO.
SoberingHealth
Four in ten adults are overweight
In 2022, 42% of adults in Botswana were overweight, according to World Bank data drawn from the WHO.
Source: World Bank, Prevalence of overweight (% of adults), Botswana · 2022
SoberingEnvironment
Hundreds of elephants killed by toxic water
In 2020, 330 elephants died in the Okavango Delta. Botswana's government said in September 2020 that tests pointed to neurotoxins from cyanobacteria, or blue green algae, in water.
RemarkableNature
The Okavango was the 1,000th World Heritage site
In June 2014 the Okavango Delta became the 1,000th site on the World Heritage List. Unusually, its annual flood arrives in the dry season.
RemarkableNature
Home to the world's largest elephant population
In 2014 IUCN described Botswana's 130,000 elephants as the largest population of the species in the world, with the Okavango Delta key to their survival.
RemarkableHealth
A first in stopping HIV passing to babies
In 2025 Botswana became the first high HIV burden country in the world to reach WHO gold tier on ending mother to child transmission. The transmission rate fell to 1.2%, and fewer than 100 infants were born with HIV in 2023.
The History of Botswana.
Setswana cultural life keeps traditional music and dance alive, from the setapa of the Bangwaketse to the dikopelo choirs of the Bakgatla ba Kgafela. At Tsodilo Hills, the White Paintings Shelter was used for curative dances, and local communities still revere the hills as a home for ancestral spirits.
Where the name comes from
Botswana means 'land of the Tswana-speaking peoples', according to Botswana Notes and Records, a University of Botswana journal. Under British rule it was the Bechuanaland Protectorate, and it became independent in 1966, according to the UK Permanent Committee on Geographical Names.
The land itself: flat to gently rolling tableland, with the Kalahari across the south west. Source: Department of Surveys and Mapping, the national mapping agency, with the UK Permanent Committee on Geographical Names.
Where it starts
The Louvre of the Desert
Tsodilo Hills in the north-west hold around 400 rock art sites with more than 4,000 individual paintings, one of the highest concentrations of rock art in the world. The hills remain sacred to local communities and have sheltered people for over 100,000 years. Genome studies show that the Khoe-San peoples of southern Africa carry the most divergent lineages of all living peoples.
How it got here
Kings who argued their own case
Early Iron Age farming communities lived in east-central and north-western Botswana. Britain declared Bechuanaland a protectorate in 1885, a move driven largely by military strategy. In 1895 three Tswana kings, Khama, Sebele and Bathoen, travelled to Britain to ask that their land not be taken over by Cecil Rhodes's British South Africa Company, and they won some concessions. Botswana became independent on 30 September 1966.
The timeline
c. 100,000 years ago onward
Tsodilo Hills.
Over 4,500 paintings survive in an area of only 10 square kilometres, one of the highest concentrations of rock art in the world. The hills are known as the Louvre of the Desert, and local communities still revere them as a home for ancestral spirits. Source
Deep prehistory
San and Khoe peoples.
Genome studies of Khoe and San peoples, including the Ju|'hoansi, |Gui and ‖Gana, show they carry the most divergent lineages of all living peoples and the greatest genetic diversity of any human group. Source
Early Iron Age
Farming and cattle.
Early Iron Age farming communities live in east-central and north-western Botswana, and small samples from their sites give some support to the idea that some Later Stone Age foragers living alongside them took up farming. Source
Before the 1300s
Trade with the coast.
Mapungubwe, where Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe meet on the Limpopo and Shashe rivers, grows into the largest kingdom in the subcontinent. It trades gold and ivory through East African ports to India and China before it is abandoned in the 14th century. Source
1885
The Bechuanaland Protectorate.
Britain declares Bechuanaland a protectorate, a move driven largely by military strategy rather than by the land's economic resources. Source
1966
Independence.
On 30 September 1966 Bechuanaland became an independent and sovereign state and was renamed the Republic of Botswana. Seretse Khama, until then Prime Minister, became President, and Quett Masire, the Deputy Prime Minister, became Vice-President. The new constitution blended the Westminster model with an executive presidency. Source
2001
World Heritage.
Tsodilo is inscribed by UNESCO as Botswana's first World Heritage site. Source
British Museum, African Rock Art, Tsodilo · UNESCO World Heritage, Tsodilo · UNESCO World Heritage Committee, Decision 25 COM X.A, Tsodilo (2001) · UNESCO World Heritage, Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape · Schlebusch et al., Khoe-San Genomes Reveal Unique Variation and Confirm the Deepest Population Divergence in Homo sapiens (Molecular Biology and Evolution, 2020) · Mosothwane, Foragers among farmers in the Early Iron Age of Botswana (University of the Witwatersrand, 2010) · Mogalakwe, How Britain Underdeveloped Bechuanaland Protectorate (Africa Development, 2006) · Parliament of Botswana, History of Parliament · Times Higher Education, Three men on a mission (book review) · UNESCO World Heritage, Botswana state party page
Nature and Biodiversity in Botswana.
Botswana protects 27.6 per cent of its land in national parks and reserves such as Chobe, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and Moremi (World Bank), and the conserved total rises towards 37 per cent or more once Wildlife Management Areas are counted. Enforcement is comparatively strong, backed by a well-resourced anti-poaching effort and a national economic stake in keeping wildlife alive. The Okavango Delta is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Is wild Botswana protected? 27.6% of the land is, against a 30% target for 2030
How protected is nature in Botswana?
Forest cover27.76%
Terrestrial protected area27.6%
34 (mammals, birds, fish & plants) listed as threatened.
Found only here. Few strict endemics; the elephant, lion and wild dog it is famous for range widely across southern Africa.
The watchlist
ThreatenedAfrican elephant (Loxodonta africana) Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Botswana in GBIF occurrence data (mammal).
ThreatenedGyps africanus Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Botswana in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
ThreatenedAldrovanda vesiculosa Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Botswana in GBIF occurrence data (plant).
ThreatenedLycaon pictus Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Botswana in GBIF occurrence data (mammal).
ThreatenedNecrosyrtes monachus Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Botswana in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
ThreatenedTrigonoceps occipitalis Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Botswana in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
ThreatenedBateleur (Terathopius ecaudatus) Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Botswana in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
ThreatenedPolemaetus bellicosus Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Botswana in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
What is still here, and what is gone?
Tap a species for the honest status.
Closest to being lost, by name
Gyps africanus
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Botswana. GBIF holds 431 verified occurrence records.
Necrosyrtes monachus
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Botswana. GBIF holds 115 verified occurrence records.
Trigonoceps occipitalis
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Botswana. GBIF holds 44 verified occurrence records.
Species named here are drawn from GBIF occurrence records for Botswana filtered to the IUCN Red List threatened categories. Species are listed where GBIF holds occurrence records for them in this country. Record counts are not published here because the figure cannot be reproduced from a public GBIF query.
Who is putting it back
National park in Chobe District, mapped and named in the open record for Botswana. OpenStreetMap.
National park in North-West District, mapped and named in the open record for Botswana. OpenStreetMap.
National park in South-East District, mapped and named in the open record for Botswana. OpenStreetMap.
National park in Central District, mapped and named in the open record for Botswana. OpenStreetMap.
Nature reserve in Kweneng District, mapped and named in the open record for Botswana. OpenStreetMap.
Botanical garden in Kweneng District, mapped and named in the open record for Botswana. OpenStreetMap.
Water and Ocean in Botswana.
Most of Botswana is Kalahari sandveld with no perennial surface water, so supply leans on groundwater wellfields, the Okavango and Chobe river systems in the north, and a pipeline network feeding Gaborone from distant dams. About 92 per cent of the population has at least basic drinking water (World Bank/JMP, 2020), but the safely managed share is lower and rural access is patchy. Water is a scarce and carefully managed resource in a drought-prone country.
Does Botswana have enough fresh water? Yes, with headroom
63.3% of people here have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Coverage is well short of universal, so a visitor should not assume the tap is safe.
Cleanest water: The Okavango Delta, a near-pristine inland wetland and UNESCO World Heritage site.
How much fresh water does Botswana have, per person?
984 m³
Botswana
1,000 m³
the UN “water scarce” line
Botswana withdraws about 213 million cubic metres of fresh water a year (2022). That is 2.2% of the fresh water actually available to it, which FAO counts as no water stress. Of what is taken, farming takes 28%, homes and towns 61%, industry 11%. Source: FAO AQUASTAT.
Where does the sewage go?
72.1%
of people have at least basic sanitation
72.1% of people here use at least a basic toilet not shared with other households (2024, World Bank / WHO UNICEF JMP). No figure is published for how much of that waste is safely treated, so the share reaching the ground or the water untreated is unknown.
Is the tap water safe in Botswana?
63.3% of people have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Renewable fresh water works out at about 984 cubic metres per person a year (World Bank).
How hard is the water supply being pushed?
Of every 10 buckets nature refills, 0 are already taken. Withdrawals run at 2.2% of what Botswana renews internally each year (2022, World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT). That is inside the 25% mark generally treated as water stress, so the supply has headroom.
When is the best time to visit Botswana? Tap your month.
Tap your month.
How much fresh water does Botswana actually have?
Nature renews about 984 cubic metres of fresh water per person per year here. That ranks Botswana 57 of 208 countries measured, putting it in the drier half of the world. The UN treats anything under 1,000 cubic metres as water scarce, and this is below that line. World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT.
Food and Drink in Botswana.
Botswana is a net importer of cereals, with most cereal imports coming from South Africa, and food made up 16.2 per cent of its merchandise imports in 2023. Beef, sorghum and maize are among its main farm products, cattle are among its top exports, and drought cut cereal production in 2024.
Where does the food in Botswana come from?
16.2% imported
about US$1,036m a year
On the plate: Sorghum and maize porridge (bogobe and pap), morogo (wild leafy greens), beans.
2 of 10
bites are imported
The island buys in more food energy than it eats. About US$1,036m a year leaves the country to pay for it. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
About 16.2% of everything Botswana buys in from abroad is food, roughly 2 in every 10 imported items on the dock (2023, World Bank). Farming itself is 1.8% of the economy and 45.6% of the land is agricultural, of which 0.5% is arable. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
What is killing people in Botswana? The imported diet.
Cause of death, and the diet behind it.
Non-communicable diseases, all combined28.3%
Diabetes4.6%
Adults living with overweight or obesity. 42%.
Can Botswana feed itself?
0.5%
Arable land
45.6%
Agricultural land
216,233
Farmers
642,473
Arable acres
1.8%
Agriculture, share of GDP
Harvest: Rain-fed sorghum, maize and beans harvested around April to June after the November to March rains.
Feeding itself
Botswana has very little arable land in its dry, sandy interior and imports the majority of its staple food, chiefly from South Africa, so the low 16.2 per cent food share of merchandise imports understates real dependence. It does have a large and export-oriented cattle and beef sector that gives it genuine agricultural weight.
Certification
Botswana has no significant certified-organic sector in the FiBL/IFOAM record, and no reliable national organic-share figure is published. Much of its farming is low-input traditional cultivation and extensive cattle grazing rather than certified organic.
Water for crops
Most of Botswana is Kalahari sandveld with no perennial surface water, so supply leans on groundwater wellfields, the Okavango and Chobe river systems in the north, and a pipeline network feeding Gaborone from distant dams. About 92 per cent of the population has at least basic drinking water (World Bank/JMP, 2020), but the safely managed share is lower and rural access is patchy.
Why the organic number looks like that. Certified-organic farmland is not separately reported for Botswana, and that is a certification gap rather than proof nothing is grown cleanly. What the official land record does show: 45.6% of the country is agricultural land and 0.5% is arable (2023, World Bank). Certification is paid for per farm per year by a foreign body, which prices out smallholders, so the organic number reads worse than the practice.
What actually grows here
Root vegetablesVegetablesSorghumMaizeWatermelonsSunflower seeds
The food that already fits
The plant-based kitchen here is not an import. By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Botswana are sorghum, watermelons and maize (FAO, FAOSTAT crop production, 2024). That is what the land itself puts on a plate.
Buy direct where residents buy: the Craft Workshop on Nakedi Road in Broadhurst, Gaborone, holds a monthly flea market; Thapong Visual Arts Centre in Gaborone shows paintings, sculpture and handicrafts by local artists; Maun has a regular craft market alongside the Maun Craft Center. In the villages of Oodi, Thamaga and Gabane you can watch textiles and pottery being made. Bargaining is accepted at street markets. Sources: iExplore, World Travel Guide, Original Travel.
Not yet checked by us. Plant based kitchens listed publicly: Akacia, cafe in Maun: marked vegan bowls, pizza, curry, stir fry and a plant based burger; Planet Culture Café, Setswana kitchen in Maun: vegan dumplings, sorghum samp and morogo; Tandurei The Indian Restaurant, Indian restaurant in Maun: many labelled vegan dishes including dal; The Daily Grind, cafe on Independence Avenue, Gaborone: vegetarian and vegan options; Naturomedic, health food shop in Gaborone. None of the restaurants is fully vegan; all serve meat too. Tell us how they are.
Is this grown in Botswana?
Tap a food for the honest answer.
SorghumBeansMelons
World Bank Open Data · FAO, FAOSTAT crop production · World Health Organization · FAO AQUASTAT · HappyCow, Maun listings · HappyCow, Gaborone listings · iExplore, Botswana shopping and leisure · World Travel Guide, Botswana shopping and nightlife · Original Travel, Botswana shopping · FAO GIEWS, Country brief, Botswana · World Bank, Food imports (% of merchandise imports), Botswana · CIA World Factbook, Botswana (archived 2025)
Climate and Energy in Botswana.
Botswana's grid is almost entirely coal-fired, with the Morupule power stations supplying close to 99 per cent of domestic generation and renewables contributing only around 2 per cent in the early 2020s. Despite this, per-capita emissions are modest at roughly 3 tonnes of CO2 a year because overall energy consumption remains low. The government has set a target of reaching 50 per cent renewable electricity by 2030 and plans around 1.5 GW of solar capacity backed by battery storage. Delivery so far has been limited, so the country sits between a genuinely low emitter and a coal-dependent grid.
What powers Botswana?
Renewable 0.3%Fossil 99.7%
Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) is a state owned enterprise that generates, transmits and distributes electricity, and the Botswana Energy Regulatory Authority (BERA) oversees the sector. The government began unbundling BPC on 15 July 2025. In its 2026/27 budget speech the energy ministry said Cabinet had directed that BPC's generation business be split off and corporatised, while transmission and distribution stay with BPC as a regulated monopoly run as a transmission system operator. The ministry said tariffs, at about 148 thebe per kilowatt hour, remain below the cost of supply, and that the government gave BPC about P2.5 billion in support in 2025/26. A 600 MW private coal plant at Mmamabula is under construction, with the first 300 MW due by the first quarter of 2027.
Climate pollution per person
The safe amount, what the planet can absorb
2 tonnes
One person here
2.74 tonnes
The world average, for comparison
4.7 tonnes
The worst it ever got
3.57 tonnes
The grid
Botswana's grid is almost entirely coal-fired, with the Morupule power stations supplying close to 99 per cent of domestic generation and renewables contributing only around 2 per cent in the early 2020s. Despite this, per-capita emissions are modest at roughly 2.74 tonnes of CO2 a year because overall energy consumption remains low.
Pollution
Botswana banned thin plastic carrier bags in November 2018, and its very low population density means wilderness litter is limited. Air quality is moderate rather than pristine, with a modelled PM2.5 annual mean around 23 micrograms per cubic metre (World Bank, 2017), reflecting Kalahari dust and savanna burning.
Water stress
Most of Botswana is Kalahari sandveld with no perennial surface water, so supply leans on groundwater wellfields, the Okavango and Chobe river systems in the north, and a pipeline network feeding Gaborone from distant dams. About 92 per cent of the population has at least basic drinking water (World Bank/JMP, 2020), but the safely managed share is lower and rural access is patchy.
What pollutes most here
1The grid The share of electricity still generated from fossil fuel.99.7%
2Industry Diamond mining and coal-fired power around the eastern corridor..named
3Air Modelled annual mean against a WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.23.09
4On the record Botswana banned thin plastic carrier bags in November 2018, and its very low population density means wilderness litter is limited.
What has Botswana promised on climate?
Electricity renewable today0.2% (2021)
Land protected, against a 30% target27.6% by 2025
Measured on delivery, 0.2% of electricity is already renewable (2021, World Bank), so 99.8% of the grid is still to be converted. The pledge on file is measured here against what has actually been delivered, not taken on its own (UNFCCC NDC Registry, CBD Kunming-Montreal Target 3).
The biggest line item
One return flight against a whole year of living.
A resident's entire year2.74 t CO2e
Safe-climate budget, per year2 t CO2e
Los Angeles return, economy2.96 t CO2e
New York return, economy2.26 t CO2e
Sydney return, economy2.04 t CO2e
Singapore return, economy1.6 t CO2e
London return, economy1.59 t CO2e
How much CO2 does flying to Botswana emit?
Tap where you would fly from. One return flight, economy.
Firsts on climate finance. In October 2006 the United States and Botswana signed agreements under the Tropical Forest Conservation Act that cut Botswana's debt payments to the US by over US$8.3 million, made possible by a US contribution of nearly US$7 million, with the savings going to conservation grants. The US Treasury said these were the first Tropical Forest Conservation Act agreements concluded in Africa.
Climate Watch (WRI) · UNFCCC NDC Registry · World Bank Open Data · UK DESNZ greenhouse gas conversion factors · US International Trade Administration, Botswana Country Commercial Guide: Energy · Parliament of Botswana, Ministry of Minerals and Energy Committee of Supply speech, Budget 2026/27 · US Department of the Treasury, press release HP131 (5 October 2006)
AI and Data Centres in Botswana.
Every prompt runs on a machine in a building on somebody’s grid. What that costs the planet depends less on the prompt than on what is burning to power it. Here is what would power one in Botswana.
Data centres
1
Registered colocation and interconnection facilities, PeeringDB, 2026
Grid renewable
0.3 %
What a machine here runs on.
What powers a data centre in Botswana?
Almost everything a machine here consumes is burned fossil fuel.
Renewable 0.3%Fossil 99.7%
Cooling water. Every one of those halls runs on the national grid, which is 0.2% renewable today (World Bank). A data centre is only as clean as the electricity behind it, so the same figure that decides this country's climate score also decides the footprint of the AI running inside it. Cooling water use is not separately published by facility, and no operator here reports it.
The rules. Botswana has 1 colocation and interconnection facilities on the public PeeringDB register, concentrated in Gaborone (1), alongside 2 internet exchanges (BINX, Digital Delta IX). Named sites include Digital Delta IX - BOFINET.
Economy and Tourism in Botswana.
58% residents to 42% visitors across a year. 1,830,000 international arrivals in 2018 against 2,562,122 people who live here (2025, World Bank / UN Tourism).
Where a visitor dollar goes in Botswana
1,830k
Visitors a year
0.7
Visitors per resident
How deep in debt is Botswana?· for every $100 Botswana earns in a year, it owes…
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · today
$ 47What is owed now, for every $100 of national income (2026).
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · projected 2031
$ 64The IMF's own forecast has this rising to $64 by 2031.
IMF World Economic Outlook projection, 2031signed, the forecast
For every $100 Botswana earns in a year, it owes $47 (2026, IMF World Economic Outlook). The interest on that is paid before schools, clinics or coastline get their turn.
Where does a tourist dollar actually go in Botswana?
Play one tourist dollar around the board. Every square is a measured fact from this page.
START!
1
GO: a visitor lands
$100 goes on the table. 1,830,000 international arrivals in 2018 against 2,562,122 residents, 0.7 visitors for every resident (World Bank / UN Tourism).
$100 in play2
The bed
Who owns the largest places to stay in Botswana is not published in the records we can check, so this square is left open rather than guessed. Where a listing names its owner, it is shown in the ownership table below.
not published3
The plate
Food is 16.2% of everything Botswana imports (2023, World Bank), so a large part of every restaurant bill is paid to a supplier abroad. Eating what the land here actually grows, root vegetables, vegetables, sorghum, maize, watermelons, sunflower seeds, keeps that money with the grower.
sails in4
The power
99.8% of the electricity is fossil (2021, World Bank). Lighting, cooling and hot water are paid for largely in imported fuel.
burns away5
What actually stays
Of the two parts of a visitor's bill that can be measured here, the plate and the power mostly leave Botswana. Choosing locally grown food is the part of that a visitor can actually control.
less than you think6
Pay the bank first
Botswana owes $47 for every $100 it earns (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). The interest is paid before anything else on this board.
$47 per $1007
No plan B
79.2% of everything Botswana sells abroad is pearls, gemstones and precious metals (2023, UN Comtrade). One market moving takes the whole board with it.
79.2% one export8
Community chest
Tourism earns 4.6% of everything Botswana makes from exports (2020, World Bank / UN Tourism). That is how much of the economy depends on the game continuing.
4.6% of exports9
The flight
Getting here is usually the biggest single line on the bill. From Los Angeles a return economy seat is 2.96 t CO2, on the UK Government's published conversion factors. It is the one part of the trip this board cannot reduce.
2.96 t CO210
Back to GO
The economy turns over about US$22 billion a year (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). Every lap of this board is a choice about how much of it stays.
US$22bnGDPUS$19.9bn
Agriculture, share of GDP1.8%
Visitors a year1,830,000
Visitors per resident0.7
Residents~2,562,122
Agriculture
Farming is 1.8% of the economy. Botswana has very little arable land in its dry, sandy interior and imports the majority of its staple food, chiefly from South Africa, so the low 16.2 per cent food share of merchandise imports understates real dependence.
Natural materials
Botswana basketry woven from mokola palm and dyed with natural colours, especially from the Okavango panhandle villages, is internationally renowned and remains a living, income-generating craft. Leatherwork and other traditional crafts add to the natural-materials base.
Energy
Botswana's grid is almost entirely coal-fired, with the Morupule power stations supplying close to 99 per cent of domestic generation and renewables contributing only around 2 per cent in the early 2020s. Despite this, per-capita emissions are modest at roughly 2.74 tonnes of CO2 a year because overall energy consumption remains low.
Who owns the biggest hotels in Botswana?
By rooms · company records and press.
Tuli Safari Lodge · ~8 roomsFamily Businessnot published
The Kleynhans Home · ~7 roomsFamily Businessnot published
Visitors, over time
20071,965k
20082,344k
20151,660k
20161,712k
20171,775k
20181,830k
International tourism receipts run at about US$0.22 billion in 2020 (World Bank / UN Tourism). That is 4.6% of everything the country earns from exports.
How much of your money actually stays here?
Tap the holiday you are planning.
Visiting Botswana, whoever you are.
Resort guest, villa renter, family, nomad or backpacker. The honest playbook for each, from the same sourced numbers.
Already booked a resort? · the rescue list
Five swaps that move your money back on-island
1. Eat where the country eats Choose kitchens cooking what the land here grows, root vegetables, vegetables, sorghum, maize, watermelons and sunflower seeds, over an imported menu.
2. Book with a local operator Never the lobby desk. The margin on a tour is the part that stays.
3. Stay somewhere locally owned Ownership decides where the room rate books. Eco stays
4. Use the transport residents use Self-drive 4x4 for the salt pans and reserves, light-aircraft transfers between remote Delta camps, and tarred roads linking the main towns.
5. Buy the craft, not the souvenir Natural-materials work made here pays the maker directly; imported gifts pay a shipping line.
Swipe
First time here
Botswana protects nearly a third of its land and runs a low-volume, high-value safari economy around the Okavango Delta and the world's largest elephant population, but it is arid, coal-powered and imports most of its food.
Best time: The dry season, May to October, for wildlife, while the Delta floods from June to August.
Getting around
Self-drive 4x4 for the salt pans and reserves, light-aircraft transfers between remote Delta camps, and tarred roads linking the main towns.
Transport is where the fare either stays or leaves.
Eating here
The everyday plate that actually grows here is root vegetables, vegetables, sorghum, maize, watermelons and sunflower seeds. Ordering those keeps the money with the grower and cuts the imported share of the meal.
Eating what the country grows is the cheapest way to cut the import bill.
Good to know
Cards in towns, cash on safari; BWP. Pula means rain, the national motto is prosperity.
Rate my hotel. Tap yours for the honest verdict.
Ownership from company records and press.
Who owns the places to stay
Tuli Safari LodgeFamily Business · 8 rooms
The Kleynhans HomeFamily Business · 7 rooms
None of the 2 properties listed here publishes who ultimately owns it, so no claim is made either way. Ownership is what decides how much of a room rate stays in the country, which is why we show it when a listing states it.
Society and Governance in Botswana.
How well is Botswana actually run?
Governance, measured · World Bank WGI
Four measured answers, none of them opinion. Averaged across corruption control, delivery and accountability, Botswana scores 61 out of 100 (2024, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That is a state that generally does what it says it will do, which is what makes a climate pledge worth reading.
What is daily life in Botswana really like? Measured
Getting around, breathing, throwing away, learning. The honest checklist.
TransportAirWaterWastePower
✓How you get around Self-drive 4x4 for the salt pans and reserves, light-aircraft transfers between remote Delta camps, and tarred roads linking the main towns.
81.2%
literacy. Public spending on education runs at 8.1% of GDP and 21.5% of all government spending, and secondary enrolment stands at 70.6% gross (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2020 to 2021).
Made in Botswana.
Botswana basketry woven from mokola palm and dyed with natural colours, especially from the Okavango panhandle villages, is internationally renowned and remains a living, income-generating craft. Leatherwork and other traditional crafts add to the natural-materials base. Every step of processing done at home is value that stops leaving the country.
What Botswana actually sells the world
The single biggest thing Botswana sells the world is pearls, gemstones and precious metals, 79.2% of all exports in 2023 (about US$4.36 billion, UN Comtrade). The next four are ores, slag and ash at 9.2%, electrical machinery and electronics at 3.3%, inorganic chemicals at 1.0%, live animals at 0.8%.
Made now · natural materials
Botswana basketry woven from mokola palm
Worked in Botswana from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Dyed with natural colours
Worked in Botswana from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Is internationally renowned
Worked in Botswana from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Remains a living
Worked in Botswana from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Made now · natural materials
Income-generating craft. Leatherwork
Worked in Botswana from local material, and still a working craft rather than a museum piece.
Buys in · 20.5% of imports
Mineral fuels and oils
Botswana imported US$1.32 billion of mineral fuels and oils in 2023, 20.5% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 7.1% of imports
Vehicles
Botswana imported US$0.46 billion of vehicles in 2023, 7.1% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 4.4% of imports
Beverages, spirits and vinegar
Botswana imported US$0.28 billion of beverages, spirits and vinegar in 2023, 4.4% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 2.4% of imports
Cereals
Botswana imported US$0.16 billion of cereals in 2023, 2.4% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
The maths for an entrepreneur. Botswana produces about US$20 billion a year, which is roughly US$7,778 per person (2025, World Bank). Farming is 1.8% of that, while food is 16.2% of everything the country imports. The country buys in more food than its own farms contribute to the economy, and every point of that gap is a business someone could build here rather than ship in.
See the verified makersCulture in Botswana.
Setapa
The traditional music and dance of the Bangwaketse in Southern District, mainly performed by men while women ululate. It was once danced at the fields during ploughing and harvest, and is still widely performed in Molapowabasadi, Selokolela and Sesung.
Between 1914 and 1916 among the BakwenaAfter good harvests and at independence celebrations
Borankana Tswana dances
A generic term for the many traditional dances and songs of Botswana. Among the Bakwena it is an overnight dance of men with fly whisks and leg rattles, while women sing, clap and ululate, performed after good harvests, at kgotla meetings and at independence celebrations.
Dikopelo
The folk music of the Bakgatla ba Kgafela in Kgatleng District, sung by choirs and danced in patterned steps without instruments. It began on the farmlands, and UNESCO added it to its Urgent Safeguarding List in 2017.
Tswana choral music
In Kgatleng District, choirs of the Dikhwaere genre compete in the Okanyatsa Dikhwaere challenge near Mochudi, a contest that has grown since it began in 2016.
Healing danceAt Tsodilo Hills, the White Paintings Shelter was used for curative dances in which people placed their hands on the paintings to draw on their power.
Does Botswana protect its heritage by law?
Partly, and the gaps say as much as the protections.
What is kept alive. Setswana cultural life keeps traditional dance and music firmly alive, from the setapa and borankana dances to Tswana choral singing. The San (Basarwa) peoples of the Kalahari maintain living traditions that include the trance and healing dance and deep indigenous knowledge of desert ecology. Ancestral veneration of badimo, the ancestors, remains woven through community life alongside Christianity.
Who it belongs to. Botswana's Community-Based Natural Resource Management programme channels safari and wildlife revenue to village trusts, giving rural communities a real stake in tourism and conservation. San (Basarwa) communities hold deep Kalahari knowledge and some run cultural tourism. The picture is not uncomplicated, as much high-end safari revenue flows to foreign operators and the displacement of San from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve remains contested.
Only here. The Okavango Delta, one of the world's largest inland deltas, where the Okavango River fans out into the Kalahari and never reaches the sea (UNESCO World Heritage, 2014)..
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, Botswana · UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, Dikopelo folk music of Bakgatla ba Kgafela in Kgatleng District · Otukile Sindiso Phibion, University of Botswana, Bangwaketse of Botswana Setapa Traditional Music Practices (International Review of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2012) · Botswana Daily News (BOPA), Okanyatsa Dikhwaere challenge bigger better (1 August 2018) · British Museum, African Rock Art, Botswana · Otukile Phibion, University of Botswana, Borankana (Phathisi) Music Performance, Learning and Transmission among the Bakwena of Botswana (2012)
The Future of Botswana.
Three futures for Botswana, every one run forward from measured data.
Where the making actually happens
Named cultural and craft sites on the open map: Nakedi Road Craft Centre (Gaborone), Museum Road (Serowe), Botswana National Museum (Gaborone), National museum of botanical garden (Gaborone), Philatelic Museum (Gaborone). OpenStreetMap.
Every measured trend on one line
Run forward at the pace already recorded.
World Bank open data, recorded series
How much forest is left?
Forest cover moved from 27.8% to 27.8% across 29 recorded years.
How much climate pollution per person?
CO2 per person moved from 2.23 t to 2.74 t across 29 recorded years.
How many people visit?
Tourist arrivals moved from 636k to 1,830k across 23 recorded years.
How much land is protected?
Protected land moved from 29.1% to 27.6% across 12 recorded years.
How many people still farm?
Farm workforce moved from 11.5% to 18% across 30 recorded years.
How much land is farmed?
Agricultural land moved from 45.8% to 45.6% across 29 recorded years.
How fast is it urbanising?
Urban population moved from 49.6% to 68% across 30 recorded years.
Is the air getting cleaner?
Air pollution moved from 17 µg/m³ to 13.2 µg/m³ across 28 recorded years.
Is water getting scarcer?
Fresh water per person moved from 1,601 m³ to 984 m³ across 27 recorded years.
Is diet-related disease rising?
Adult overweight moved from 24.5% to 42% across 27 recorded years.
Who has power?
Electricity access moved from 16.1% to 80.2% across 29 recorded years.
Is income rising?
GDP per person moved from 3,156 to 7,778 across 30 recorded years.
How fast is it growing?
Population moved from 1,499k to 2,562k across 30 recorded years.
What share of all energy is renewable?
Renewable energy use moved from 48.9% to 27.4% across 26 recorded years.
How much energy does one person use?
Energy per person moved from 966 kg to 1,347 kg across 29 recorded years.
How much land and sea is protected together?
Protected area, total moved from 29.1% to 27.6% across 12 recorded years.
How long do people live?
Life expectancy moved from 54.7 yrs to 69.3 yrs across 29 recorded years.
How much does a hectare of cereal produce?
Cereal yield moved from 458 kg/ha to 900 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How much fertiliser goes on the land?
Fertiliser use moved from 6.62 kg/ha to 93.1 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How many people still live rurally?
Rural population moved from 50.4% to 32% across 30 recorded years.
How much value per cubic metre of water?
Water productivity moved from 46 $/m3 to 81.9 $/m3 across 27 recorded years.
How much goes on health?
Health spending moved from 6.11% to 6.26% across 23 recorded years.
How much forest is there in total?
Forest area moved from 157,279 km2 to 157,302 km2 across 30 recorded years.
How much electricity per person?
Electric power use moved from 917 kWh to 1,660 kWh across 29 recorded years.
How have agriculture emissions moved?
Agriculture emissions moved from 10.34 to 14.34 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have building emissions moved?
Building emissions moved from 0.57 to 0.82 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have electricity/heat emissions moved?
Electricity/Heat emissions moved from 1.53 to 4.3 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have energy emissions moved?
Energy emissions moved from 3.31 to 8.3 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have industrial processes emissions moved?
Industrial Processes emissions moved from 0.01 to 0.19 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have manufacturing/construction emissions moved?
Manufacturing/Construction emissions moved from 0.5 to 0.67 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have transportation emissions moved?
Transportation emissions moved from 0.67 to 2.47 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
Worst caseCurrent pathBest case
Worst case
Every measured decline continues at the pace already recorded. The weakest pillar, organic farming at 1/5, is the one that gives way first.
Computed from: recorded series extended with no policy change
What the best case actually asks for
Lift organic farming
It scores 1 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Botswana's record. Botswana has no significant certified-organic sector in the FiBL/IFOAM record, and no reliable national organic-share figure is published. Much of its farming is low-input traditional cultivation and extensive cattle grazing rather than certified organic.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift recycling
It scores 1 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Botswana's record. Botswana has no national kerbside recycling system, and formal municipal recovery is low. Some private and informal recycling of aluminium cans, PET and glass operates around Gaborone, and a plastic-bag levy has funded environmental measures.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift energy
It scores 1 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Botswana's record. Botswana's grid is almost entirely coal-fired, with the Morupule power stations supplying close to 99 per cent of domestic generation and renewables contributing only around 2 per cent in the early 2020s.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Government and Goals in Botswana.
Who is in charge of Botswana now · Office-holders from the UN Protocol and Liaison Service public list of Heads of State and Heads of Government, 20 October 2026. Legislature and election dates from IFES ElectionGuide. Constitution dates from the Constitute Project. Governance scores from the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators 2024.
Duma Boko
President
Duma Boko is the head of government of Botswana, in office since 1 November 2024. Every climate, protection and energy pledge on this page is delivered, or not, under this administration.
Public opinion, measured
Voice and accountability, the freedom to question government scores 65.0 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 64.8 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Control of corruption scores 59.9 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 60.6 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Political stability and absence of violence scores 84.5 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 85.2 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Rule of law scores 63.3 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 63.4 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Regulatory quality scores 61.6 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 61.7 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Duma BokoPresident
ParliamentLegislature, unicameral
Last election30 October 2024
Constitution1966, as revised to 2021
Government typeparliamentary republic
Botswana national goals: what has been pledged, and how far it has got · each pledge measured against this country's own recorded delivery
2030
30% of land protected
! closeTarget 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted by more than 190 parties in December 2022. Botswana currently protects 27.6% of its land, which is 92% of the way to the pledge. Source
2030
Paris Agreement pledge
on recordBotswana has a Nationally Determined Contribution lodged with the UNFCCC. The registry holds the current text, its target year and the sectors it covers. Source
Plastic policy
in forceA ban on thin plastic carrier bags has been in force since November 2018.
Grid, as it stands
0.3% renewableRecorded renewable share of electricity output, the number every energy pledge is measured against. Source
Plain Answers About Botswana.
The questions people actually type, answered in full sentences from the sourced data above.
Swipe
Is Botswana sustainable?
Botswana scores 53 out of 100 on the Throne Eco Index, across twelve equally weighted pillars. Botswana protects nearly a third of its land and runs a low-volume, high-value safari economy around the Okavango Delta and the world's largest elephant population, but it is arid, coal-powered and imports most of its food.
Is the water in Botswana safe and plentiful?
Most of Botswana is Kalahari sandveld with no perennial surface water, so supply leans on groundwater wellfields, the Okavango and Chobe river systems in the north, and a pipeline network feeding Gaborone from distant dams. About 92 per cent of the population has at least basic drinking water (World Bank/JMP, 2020), but the safely managed share is lower and rural access is patchy. Water is a scarce and carefully managed resource in a drought-prone country.
Can Botswana feed itself?
Botswana has very little arable land in its dry, sandy interior and imports the majority of its staple food, chiefly from South Africa, so the low 16.2 per cent food share of merchandise imports understates real dependence. It does have a large and export-oriented cattle and beef sector that gives it genuine agricultural weight. Crop self-sufficiency, though, is low and vulnerable to drought.
Is it easy to eat plant-based in Botswana?
Traditional foods include sorghum and maize porridge, beans, melons and morogo (wild leafy greens), which give a plant-based base, but the food culture is strongly meat-centred around beef. Fresh vegetable availability is modest and reliant on imports, especially away from the main towns. Plant-based eating is possible but not easy or varied.
How much of Botswana is actually protected?
Botswana protects 27.6 per cent of its land in national parks and reserves such as Chobe, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and Moremi (World Bank), and the conserved total rises towards 37 per cent or more once Wildlife Management Areas are counted. Enforcement is comparatively strong, backed by a well-resourced anti-poaching effort and a national economic stake in keeping wildlife alive. The Okavango Delta is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
What wildlife is left in Botswana?
Botswana holds the world's largest elephant population, estimated around 130,000, and the Okavango Delta and Chobe support outstanding concentrations of lion, leopard, wild dog, buffalo and antelope. It is one of Africa's most important strongholds for the endangered African wild dog. Endemism is low, however, as the savanna and Kalahari fauna is shared widely across southern Africa.
Is Botswana on clean energy?
Botswana's grid is almost entirely coal-fired, with the Morupule power stations supplying close to 99 per cent of domestic generation and renewables contributing only around 2 per cent in the early 2020s. Despite this, per-capita emissions are modest at roughly 2.74 tonnes of CO2 a year because overall energy consumption remains low. The government has set a target of reaching 50 per cent renewable electricity by 2030 and plans around 1.5 GW of solar capacity backed by battery storage.
How polluted is Botswana?
Botswana banned thin plastic carrier bags in November 2018, and its very low population density means wilderness litter is limited. Air quality is moderate rather than pristine, with a modelled PM2.5 annual mean around 23 micrograms per cubic metre (World Bank, 2017), reflecting Kalahari dust and savanna burning. Policy exists but is partial rather than comprehensive.
Does recycling work in Botswana?
Botswana has no national kerbside recycling system, and formal municipal recovery is low. Some private and informal recycling of aluminium cans, PET and glass operates around Gaborone, and a plastic-bag levy has funded environmental measures. Overall recovery remains weak.
Is the farming in Botswana organic?
Botswana has no significant certified-organic sector in the FiBL/IFOAM record, and no reliable national organic-share figure is published. Much of its farming is low-input traditional cultivation and extensive cattle grazing rather than certified organic. On the certified measure the country scores at the bottom.
Are there natural materials and craft in Botswana?
Botswana basketry woven from mokola palm and dyed with natural colours, especially from the Okavango panhandle villages, is internationally renowned and remains a living, income-generating craft. Leatherwork and other traditional crafts add to the natural-materials base. There is no large textile industry, but the basket tradition is genuinely alive.
Is there living culture in Botswana?
Botswana's Community-Based Natural Resource Management programme channels safari and wildlife revenue to village trusts, giving rural communities a real stake in tourism and conservation. San (Basarwa) communities hold deep Kalahari knowledge and some run cultural tourism. The picture is not uncomplicated, as much high-end safari revenue flows to foreign operators and the displacement of San from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve remains contested.
What heritage does Botswana keep alive?
Setswana cultural life keeps traditional dance and music firmly alive, from the setapa and borankana dances to Tswana choral singing. The San (Basarwa) peoples of the Kalahari maintain living traditions that include the trance and healing dance and deep indigenous knowledge of desert ecology. Ancestral veneration of badimo, the ancestors, remains woven through community life alongside Christianity.
So is Botswana actually green? The measured answer
What is working: land protected at 27.6%.
What is not: renewable electricity at 0.2% against a 100% mark.
World Bank Open Data · Protected Planet (UNEP-WCMC / WDPA) · Climate Watch (WRI) · Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026 · CIA World Factbook, Botswana (archived 2025) · World Bank, Population, total, Botswana · World Bank, Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area), Botswana · World Bank, Renewable electricity output (% of total), Botswana · World Bank, CO2 emissions per capita, Botswana · World Bank, Cause of death by non-communicable diseases (% of total), Botswana · British Museum, African Rock Art, Botswana · UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, Dikopelo
How Botswana Ranks, region and world.
Where Botswana sits on the Eco Index, against its Africa neighbours and the 77 destinations scored worldwide.
How does Botswana compare in Africa?
1Ethiopia70
2Zambia70
3Uganda65
4Tanzania65
5Namibia65
Scored Africa destinations, Eco Index.
The global top 10 of the 77 destinations scored
1Switzerland78
2France78
3Finland77
4Slovenia77
5Australia77
6Portugal75
7Germany75
8New Zealand75
9Italy73
10Spain73
Botswana sits 70 of 77 at 53/100. Every name links to its own destination page, built exactly like this one. The full ranking
What is Botswana particularly good at?
✓ Heritage, scored 5/5. Setswana cultural life keeps traditional dance and music firmly alive, from the setapa and borankana dances to Tswana choral singing. The San (Basarwa) peoples of the Kalahari maintain living traditions that include the trance and healing dance and deep indigenous knowledge of desert ecology. Ancestral veneration of badimo, the ancestors, remains woven through community life alongside Christianity. UNESCO has recognised living elements such as Dikopelo folk music and the Seperu folkdance.
✓ Conservation, scored 4/5. Botswana protects 27.6 per cent of its land in national parks and reserves such as Chobe, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and Moremi (World Bank), and the conserved total rises towards 37 per cent or more once Wildlife Management Areas are counted. Enforcement is comparatively strong, backed by a well-resourced anti-poaching effort and a national economic stake in keeping wildlife alive. The Okavango Delta is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
✓ Wildlife, scored 4/5. Botswana holds the world's largest elephant population, estimated around 130,000, and the Okavango Delta and Chobe support outstanding concentrations of lion, leopard, wild dog, buffalo and antelope. It is one of Africa's most important strongholds for the endangered African wild dog. Endemism is low, however, as the savanna and Kalahari fauna is shared widely across southern Africa.
Where does Botswana score worst?
✕ Organic farming, scored 1/5. Botswana has no significant certified-organic sector in the FiBL/IFOAM record, and no reliable national organic-share figure is published. Much of its farming is low-input traditional cultivation and extensive cattle grazing rather than certified organic. On the certified measure the country scores at the bottom.
✕ Recycling, scored 1/5. Botswana has no national kerbside recycling system, and formal municipal recovery is low. Some private and informal recycling of aluminium cans, PET and glass operates around Gaborone, and a plastic-bag levy has funded environmental measures. Overall recovery remains weak.
✕ Energy, scored 1/5. Botswana's grid is almost entirely coal-fired, with the Morupule power stations supplying close to 99 per cent of domestic generation and renewables contributing only around 2 per cent in the early 2020s. Despite this, per-capita emissions are modest at roughly 3 tonnes of CO2 a year because overall energy consumption remains low. The government has set a target of reaching 50 per cent renewable electricity by 2030 and plans around 1.5 GW of solar capacity backed by battery storage. Delivery so far has been limited, so the country sits between a genuinely low emitter and a coal-dependent grid.
A note from the lens of mother natureSwipe
Organic farming, 1/5
Botswana has no significant certified-organic sector in the FiBL/IFOAM record, and no reliable national organic-share figure is published. Much of its farming is low-input traditional cultivation and extensive cattle grazing rather than certified organic. On the certified measure the country scores at the bottom.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Botswana's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Recycling, 1/5
Botswana has no national kerbside recycling system, and formal municipal recovery is low. Some private and informal recycling of aluminium cans, PET and glass operates around Gaborone, and a plastic-bag levy has funded environmental measures. Overall recovery remains weak.
Energy, 1/5
Botswana's grid is almost entirely coal-fired, with the Morupule power stations supplying close to 99 per cent of domestic generation and renewables contributing only around 2 per cent in the early 2020s.
The Botswana Directory.
Everything on Hold The Throne that sits in Botswana, checked and listed.
How the rest of the world scores Botswana
Independent global indices, for calibration.
Forest cover
27.8
World Bank, 2024.
Protected land
27.6
World Bank, 2025.
Renewable grid
0.25
World Bank, 2021.
CO2 per person
2.7
World Bank, 2024.
Threatened species
34 (mammals, birds, fish & plants)
Recorded figure, sourced on this page.
Control of corruption
59.9 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Government effectiveness
61.2 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Rule of law
63.3 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Political stability
84.5 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Voice and accountability
65.0 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Environmental Performance Index
51.8 / 100 · 38 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 38 of 177 countries assessed.
Ecosystem vitality
68.6 / 100 · 1 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 1 of 177 countries assessed.
Biodiversity and habitat
68.6 / 100 · 6 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 6 of 177 countries assessed.
Air quality
33.8 / 100 · 101 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 101 of 177 countries assessed.
Terrestrial biomes protected
82.3 / 100 · 45 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 45 of 177 countries assessed.
How Botswana Is Scored. The Throne Standard.
Every destination on the index is scored the same way, so a 4 in Barbados means exactly what a 4 means in Iceland. No self-declared data and no brochure claims are accepted. Seven pillars are scored from published measurements with the same fixed thresholds everywhere: energy (low-carbon share of electricity, 90% or more scores 5, 70% 4, 50% 3, 25% 2), conservation (land and sea protected), water (safe drinking water, wastewater treated, water stress), organic farmland, recycling, food import dependence and air quality. Where a measurement is not published for a place, that pillar keeps its source-assessed score and is labelled as such. Wildlife, culture, heritage, materials and plant-based eating have no comparable measurement and are assessed from the named sources. The Eco Index is the average of the twelve pillar scores multiplied by 20. Every figure on this page carries its named source and year, and the history on each page names what empire took as plainly as it scores the present.
The 12 pillars every destination is scored on, equally weighted
01
Water
Safe drinking water, wastewater treated and water stress. Measured.
02
Food & farming
How much of the import bill is food: whether the place feeds itself. Measured.
03
Plant-based
How easy it is to eat plant-based, from documented sources.
04
Organic
Certified organic share of farmland. Measured.
05
Conservation
Land and sea legally protected, against the 30 by 30 goal. Measured.
06
Wildlife
What survives, what is endemic, what is lost, from documented sources.
07
Materials
Local natural fibres and craft, from documented sources.
08
Pollution
Air quality (PM2.5, measured) and plastics and waste policy.
09
Recycling
Share of municipal waste recycled. Measured.
10
Energy
Low-carbon share of electricity, nuclear included. Measured.
11
Culture
Living culture and community-led visits, from documented sources.
12
Heritage
What the law keeps standing, from documented sources.
What each 0 to 5 pillar score means, in plain words
0
Absent
nothing verifiable exists
1
Failing
measurably going the wrong way
2
Weak
claims outrun delivery
3
Fair
real effort, mixed results
4
Strong
genuinely good, evidence named
5
Leading
world class, and the trend holds
Where the numbers come from.
The institutions above are the ones cited on this page, ranked by how many of its figures they carry. This same sectioned page renders for all 77 scored destinations, each with its own researched history, comparison charts and three-way future. Read the full methodology
Every figure on this page, and where it came from: 94 sources across 32 institutions
World Bank19 FIGURES
- Forest area (% of land area) AG.LND.FRST.ZS (26.29%), 2023 check
- Terrestrial protected areas ER.LND.PTLD.ZS (27.6%), 2025 check
- Food imports (% of merchandise imports) (16.21%), 2023 check
- PM2.5 mean annual exposure EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3 (13.24 ug/m3), 2023 check
- CO2 emissions per capita EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5, 2024 check
- Electricity production from coal sources (% of total): Botswana check
- Threatened species (mammals EN.MAM.THRD.NO, birds EN.BIR.THRD.NO, fish EN.FSH.THRD.NO, higher plants EN.HPT.THRD.NO), 2022 check
- Renewable electricity output (% of total) EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS, 2021 check
- GDP (current US$) NY.GDP.MKTP.CD, 2025 check
- International tourist arrivals ST.INT.ARVL, 2018 check
- Agricultural land (% of land area) AG.LND.AGRI.ZS, 2023 check
- Arable land (% of land area) AG.LND.ARBL.ZS, 2023 check
- Agriculture, value added (% of GDP) NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS, 2025 check
- Adult literacy rate SE.ADT.LITR.ZS, 2003 check
- Renewable internal freshwater per capita (m3) ER.H2O.INTR.PC, 2022 check
- Overweight prevalence, adults (%) SH.STA.OWAD.ZS, 2022 check
- Central government debt (% of GDP) GC.DOD.TOTL.GD.ZS, 2023 check
- Population total SP.POP.TOTL, 2025 check
- What a Waste 2.0 country-level dataset check
GBIF15 FIGURES
- IUCN Red List Category service (Loxodonta africana; Lycaon pictus), Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Botswana in GBIF occurrence data (mammal). check
- IUCN Red List Category service (Loxodonta africana; Lycaon pictus) corroboration check
- IUCN Red List Category service (Gyps africanus; Necrosyrtes monachus; Trigonoceps occipitalis), Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Botswana in GBIF occurrence data (bird). check
- IUCN Red List Category service (Gyps africanus; Necrosyrtes monachus; Trigonoceps occipitalis) corroboration check
- IUCN Red List Category service (Gyps africanus; Necrosyrtes monachus; Trigonoceps occipitalis) corroboration check
- IUCN Red List Category service (Gyps africanus; Necrosyrtes monachus; Trigonoceps occipitalis) corroboration check
- IUCN Red List Category service (Gyps africanus; Necrosyrtes monachus; Trigonoceps occipitalis) corroboration check
- IUCN Red List Category service (Gyps africanus; Necrosyrtes monachus; Trigonoceps occipitalis) corroboration check
- IUCN Red List Category service (Aldrovanda vesiculosa), Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Botswana in GBIF occurrence data (plant). check
- IUCN Red List Category service (Aldrovanda vesiculosa) corroboration check
- IUCN Red List Category service (Gyps africanus; Necrosyrtes monachus; Trigonoceps occipitalis) corroboration check
- IUCN Red List Category service (Terathopius ecaudatus; Polemaetus bellicosus), Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Botswana in GBIF occurrence data (bird). check
- IUCN Red List Category service (Terathopius ecaudatus; Polemaetus bellicosus) corroboration check
- IUCN Red List Category service (Terathopius ecaudatus; Polemaetus bellicosus) corroboration check
- IUCN Red List Category service (Terathopius ecaudatus; Polemaetus bellicosus) corroboration check
Botswana Daily News (BOPA)6 FIGURES
- 'Plastic ban responsibility for all', 6 June 2018, Botswana banned thin plastic carrier bags in November 2018, and its very low population density means wilderne check
- 'Plastic ban responsibility for all', 6 June 2018 corroboration check
- 'Plastic ban responsibility for all', 6 June 2018 corroboration check
- 'Plastic ban responsibility for all', 6 June 2018 corroboration check
- 'Plastic ban responsibility for all', 6 June 2018 corroboration check
- 'Plastic ban responsibility for all', 6 June 2018 corroboration check
KAZA TFCA Secretariat6 FIGURES
- KAZA Elephant Survey 2022 Fact Sheet, Botswana holds the world's largest elephant population, estimated around 130,000, and the Okavango Delta and C check
- KAZA Elephant Survey 2022 Fact Sheet corroboration check
- KAZA Elephant Survey 2022 Fact Sheet corroboration check
- KAZA Elephant Survey 2022 Fact Sheet corroboration check
- KAZA Elephant Survey 2022 Fact Sheet corroboration check
- KAZA Elephant Survey 2022 Fact Sheet corroboration check
UNESCO Institute for Statistics5 FIGURES
- public data API (Botswana), Public spending on education runs at 8.1% of GDP and 21.5% of all government spending, and secondary enrolment check
- public data API (Botswana) corroboration check
- public data API (Botswana) corroboration check
- public data API (Botswana) corroboration check
- public data API (Botswana) corroboration check
British Museum4 FIGURES
- African Rock Art Image Project, Botswana country overview, Tsodilo Hills in the north-west hold around 400 rock art sites with more than 4,000 individual paintings, one check
- African Rock Art Image Project, Botswana country overview corroboration check
- African Rock Art Image Project, Botswana country overview corroboration check
- African Rock Art Image Project, Botswana country overview corroboration check
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage4 FIGURES
- Dikopelo folk music of Bakgatla ba Kgafela in Kgatleng District (Botswana), UNESCO has recognised living elements such as Dikopelo folk music and the Seperu folkdance. check
- Dikopelo folk music of Bakgatla ba Kgafela in Kgatleng District (Botswana) corroboration check
- Dikopelo folk music of Bakgatla ba Kgafela in Kgatleng District (Botswana) corroboration check
- Dikopelo folk music of Bakgatla ba Kgafela in Kgatleng District (Botswana) corroboration check
FAO, Global Forest Resources Assessment3 FIGURES
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area (% of land area) AG_LND_FRST, Botswana, 2025 (27.8%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area under a long-term management plan (%) AG_LND_FRSTMGT, Botswana, 2025 (10.9%), country-reported check
- UN SDG Global Database, forest area inside legally established protected areas (%) AG_LND_FRSTPRCT, Botswana, 2025 (10.9%), country-reported check
UNESCO World Heritage Centre3 FIGURES
BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC2 FIGURES
FAO2 FIGURES
Winterbach et al.2 FIGURES
World Bank / UNEP-WCMC2 FIGURES
Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks1 FIGURE
- national protected-area and wildlife authority check
CBD1 FIGURE
- Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework Target 3 check
Constitute Project1 FIGURE
- Botswana 1966 (rev. 2021) check
FAO GIEWS Country Brief on Botswana1 FIGURE
- Crop self-sufficiency, though, is low and vulnerable to drought. check
Government of Botswana1 FIGURE
- About Our Country, Okavango Delta and Tsodilo Hills listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites check
IEA1 FIGURE
- Botswana electricity profile check
IEA, World Energy Balances1 FIGURE
- UN SDG Global Database, renewable share of total final energy consumption (%) EG_FEC_RNEW, Botswana, 2023 (34.1%), modelled estimate check
IFES ElectionGuide1 FIGURE
- Botswana elections and chambers check
Our World in Data1 FIGURE
- CO2 and Greenhouse Gas Emissions country profile: Botswana, 2023 check
Our World in Data / Ember1 FIGURE
- Share of electricity from renewables (0.29%), 2024 check
Statistics Botswana1 FIGURE
- national statistical authority check
UN Environment Programme1 FIGURE
- national plastic-bag legislation check
UN Protocol and Liaison Service1 FIGURE
- Heads of State, Heads of Government and Ministers for Foreign Affairs, public list dated 20 October 2026 check
UNESCO1 FIGURE
- Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists check
UNFCCC1 FIGURE
- NDC Registry check
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme1 FIGURE
- UN SDG Global Database, population using safely managed drinking water (%) SH_H2O_SAFE, Botswana, 2024 (63.3%), modelled estimate check
World Bank / WHO-UNICEF JMP1 FIGURE
- at least basic drinking water SH.H2O.BASW.ZS (92.2%), 2020 check
World Bank Mission 3001 FIGURE
- National Energy Compact for Botswana (50% renewables by 2030), 2025 check