Destinations › Africa · The Destination Index · universal template · every figure sourced
Botswana.
Southern Africa, north of South Africa. 581,730 sq km and 2,562,122 people, landlocked, with no coastline at all, semiarid; warm winters and hot summers.
Region · AfricaPopulation · ~2,562,122Languages · Setswana, Kalanga, Kgalagadi, English (official)Eco Index · 58/100 · Weak
The Eco Index across 12 pillars · scored 0 to 5 · World Bank, OWID, WHO/UNICEF JMP, FiBL, Protected Planet, IUCN, UNESCO (2023-24)
Conservation
Wildlife
Water
Food & farming
Organic & clean
Climate & energy
Waste
Health
Heritage
Ownership
Governance
Future
The History of Botswana.
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 one of humanity's oldest living traditions, including the trance and healing dance and deep indigenous knowledge of desert ecology.
Where the name comes from
'Land of the Tswana', for the Tswana peoples. Under British rule it was the Bechuanaland Protectorate; the country took its own name at independence in 1966. Source: UK Permanent Committee on Geographical Names toponymic factfile.
The land itself: flat to gently rolling tableland, with the Kalahari across the south west. Its high point is Manyelanong Hill, 1,495 m. Source: Department of Surveys and Mapping: https://www, 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 anywhere on Earth. The hills remain sacred to local communities. San and Khoe peoples lived across the Kalahari and its margins for tens of thousands of years, among the longest continuous human presence anywhere.
How it got here
Kings who argued their own case
Bantu-speaking farming and cattle-keeping communities settled the east and north from around AD 500, and by the nineteenth century Tswana states had consolidated under their own kgosi, with the kgotla as a public assembly for hearing disputes. In 1895 three Tswana kings travelled to Britain to argue against their land being handed to a chartered company, and they succeeded. Botswana became independent in 1966.
The timeline
c. 100,000 years ago onward
Tsodilo Hills.
Around 400 rock art sites hold more than 4,000 individual paintings, one of the highest concentrations of rock art anywhere. The hills are known as the Louvre of the Desert and remain sacred to local communities. ↗
Before c. AD 500
San and Khoe peoples.
San and Khoe communities lived across the Kalahari and its margins, among the longest continuous human presence anywhere on Earth. ↗
c. AD 500 onward
Farming and cattle.
Bantu-speaking farming and cattle-keeping communities settle the east and north. ↗
1200s to 1300s
Trade with the coast.
Settlements in the north-east trade into the same Indian Ocean networks that supplied Mapungubwe and Great Zimbabwe. ↗
1800s
The Tswana states.
Tswana kingdoms consolidate under their own kgosi, with the kgotla as a public assembly for hearing disputes. ↗
1885
The Bechuanaland Protectorate.
Three Tswana kings travelled to Britain in 1895 to argue against their land being handed to a chartered company, and succeeded. ↗
1966
Independence.
Botswana becomes independent on 30 September 1966. Diamond revenue was subsequently channelled through the state rather than conceded to the mining companies. ↗
2001
World Heritage.
Tsodilo is inscribed by UNESCO as Botswana's first World Heritage site. ↗
Botswana protects 29.1 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 cover26.29%
Terrestrial protected area29.1%
34 (mammals, birds, fish & plants) listed as threatened.
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.
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.
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, 1 are already taken. Withdrawals run at 8.9% 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.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
.
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.
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.
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.
How often each food is on the plate
Share of people eating each one regularly. These overlap, so they do not add up to 100%.
Sorghum60%
Beans15%
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.
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.
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%
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
2.74 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 gridThe share of electricity still generated from fossil fuel.99.7%
2IndustryDiamond mining and coal-fired power around the eastern corridor..named
3AirModelled annual mean against a WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.23.09
4On the recordBotswana 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.
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.
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 play
2
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 published
3
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 in
4
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 away
5
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 think
6
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 $100
7
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 export
8
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 exports
9
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 CO2
10
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$22bn
GDPUS$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.
All-inclusive resortForeign-owned hotel and tourist restaurantsLocally owned stay and local restaurantsGuesthouse, markets and public transport
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. The checked list →
2. Book with a local operator Never the lobby desk. The margin on a tour is the part that stays. Eco tours →
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.
Tuli Safari LodgeThe Kleynhans Home
.
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.
How well is Botswana run? · each scored out of 100, higher is better
Clean government, scored 61 of 100
Control of corruption scores 60.6 out of 100 (2024, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That is above the halfway mark of governments measured.
61
Freedom and rights, scored 62 of 100
Voice and accountability, which measures free expression, free media and the ability to choose a government, scores 62 out of 100 (2024, World Bank WGI). Citizens have some room to question their government.
62
Government effectiveness, scored 59 of 100
Government effectiveness, which measures the quality of public services and how well policy is actually delivered, scores 59.4 out of 100 (2024, World Bank WGI). Delivery is rated above average.
59
Income equality, scored 55 of 100
The Gini index of income inequality reads 54.9 (2015, World Bank). Zero is perfect equality and 100 is one person holding everything. Above 40 is the level usually treated as socially strained, and Botswana sits above it.
55
LGBTQ+ status: MixedSolo female travel: Take care81.2% adult literacyIndustry to avoid: Diamond mining and coal-fired power around the eastern corridor.
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.
✓Air quality, measured Modelled annual mean 23.09. The WHO guideline is 5 µg/m³.
✓Where the air is cleanest The Kalahari and Okavango wilderness, far from the eastern mining corridor.
✓Tap water Varies
✓What to drink Towns are mostly treated; camps bottle or filter, never drink river water.
✓Plastic rules A ban on thin plastic carrier bags has been in force since November 2018.
✓Sockets and voltage Type C/D/M, 230V
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
Especially from the Okavango panhandle villages
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.
A living tradition of Botswana, still practised rather than archived.
Borankana Tswana dances
A living tradition of Botswana, still practised rather than archived.
Dikopelo
A living tradition of Botswana, still practised rather than archived.
Tswana choral music
A living tradition of Botswana, still practised rather than archived.
San (Basarwa) tranceA living tradition of Botswana, still practised rather than archived.
Healing danceA living tradition of Botswana, still practised rather than archived.
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 one of humanity's oldest living traditions, including 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, the world's largest inland delta, where the Okavango River fans out into the Kalahari and never reaches the sea (UNESCO World Heritage, 2014)..
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.
-18%
Forest cover
1995: 32.1 % → 2023: 26.3 %
+23%
CO2 per person
1995: 2.23 t → 2024: 2.74 t
+188%
Tourist arrivals
1995: 636 k → 2018: 1830 k
-5%
Protected land
2013: 29.1 % → 2025: 27.6 %
+57%
Farm workforce
1995: 11.5 % → 2025: 18 %
0%
Agricultural land
1995: 45.8 % → 2023: 45.6 %
+37%
Urban population
1995: 49.6 % → 2025: 68 %
-22%
Air pollution
1995: 17 µg/m³ → 2023: 13.2 µg/m³
-39%
Fresh water per person
1995: 1601.2 m³ → 2022: 983.7 m³
+71%
Adult overweight
1995: 24.5 % → 2022: 42 %
+397%
Electricity access
1995: 16.1 % → 2024: 80.2 %
+146%
GDP per person
1995: 3156 → 2025: 7778
+71%
Population
1995: 1499 k → 2025: 2562 k
-44%
Renewable energy use
1995: 48.9 % → 2021: 27.4 %
+29%
Energy per person
1995: 965.7 kg → 2023: 1250 kg
-5%
Protected area, total
2013: 29.1 % → 2025: 27.6 %
+27%
Life expectancy
1995: 54.7 yrs → 2024: 69.3 yrs
+96%
Cereal yield
1995: 458.4 ha → 2024: 900.4 ha
+1306%
Fertiliser use
1995: 6.6 ha → 2023: 93.1 ha
-36%
Rural population
1995: 50.4 % → 2025: 32 %
+78%
Water productivity
1995: 46 $/m3 → 2022: 81.9 $/m3
+2%
Health spending
2000: 6.11 % → 2023: 6.26 %
-18%
Forest area
1995: 182122 km2 → 2023: 148998 km2
+79%
Electric power use
1995: 917.4 kWh → 2023: 1641 kWh
+39%
Emissions: Agriculture
1990: 10.3 e → 2023: 14.3 e
+44%
Emissions: Building
1990: 0.57 e → 2023: 0.82 e
+181%
Emissions: Electricity/Heat
1990: 1.53 e → 2023: 4.3 e
+151%
Emissions: Energy
1990: 3.31 e → 2023: 8.3 e
+1800%
Emissions: Industrial Processes
1990: 0.01 e → 2023: 0.19 e
+34%
Emissions: Manufacturing/Construction
1990: 0.5 e → 2023: 0.67 e
+269%
Emissions: Transportation
1990: 0.67 e → 2023: 2.47 e
World Bank open data, recorded series
How much forest is left?
Forest cover moved from 32.1% to 26.3% across 28 recorded years.
World Bank AG.LND.FRST.ZS
How much climate pollution per person?
CO2 per person moved from 2.2 t to 2.7 t across 29 recorded years.
World Bank EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5
How many people visit?
Tourist arrivals moved from 636k to 1830k across 23 recorded years.
World Bank ST.INT.ARVL
How much land is protected?
Protected land moved from 29.1% to 27.6% across 12 recorded years.
World Bank ER.LND.PTLD.ZS
How many people still farm?
Farm workforce moved from 11.5% to 18.0% across 30 recorded years.
World Bank SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS
How much land is farmed?
Agricultural land moved from 45.8% to 45.6% across 28 recorded years.
World Bank AG.LND.AGRI.ZS
How fast is it urbanising?
Urban population moved from 49.6% to 68.0% across 30 recorded years.
World Bank SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS
Is the air getting cleaner?
Air pollution moved from 17.0 µg/m³ to 13.2 µg/m³ across 28 recorded years.
World Bank EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3
Is water getting scarcer?
Fresh water per person moved from 1601.2 m³ to 983.6 m³ across 27 recorded years.
World Bank ER.H2O.INTR.PC
Is diet-related disease rising?
Adult overweight moved from 24.5% to 42.0% across 27 recorded years.
World Bank SH.STA.OWAD.ZS
Who has power?
Electricity access moved from 16.1% to 80.2% across 29 recorded years.
World Bank EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS
Is income rising?
GDP per person moved from 3156 to 7778 across 30 recorded years.
World Bank NY.GDP.PCAP.CD
How fast is it growing?
Population moved from 1499k to 2562k across 30 recorded years.
World Bank SP.POP.TOTL
What share of all energy is renewable?
Renewable energy use moved from 48.9% to 27.4% across 26 recorded years.
World Bank EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS
How much energy does one person use?
Energy per person moved from 965.69 kg to 1250 kg across 28 recorded years.
World Bank EG.USE.PCAP.KG.OE
How much land and sea is protected together?
Protected area, total moved from 29.1% to 27.6% across 12 recorded years.
World Bank ER.PTD.TOTL.ZS
How long do people live?
Life expectancy moved from 54.71 yrs to 69.29 yrs across 29 recorded years.
World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN
How much does a hectare of cereal produce?
Cereal yield moved from 458.4 kg/ha to 900.4 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
World Bank AG.YLD.CREL.KG
How much fertiliser goes on the land?
Fertiliser use moved from 6.62 kg/ha to 93.08 kg/ha across 28 recorded years.
World Bank AG.CON.FERT.ZS
How many people still live rurally?
Rural population moved from 50.39% to 32.04% across 30 recorded years.
World Bank SP.RUR.TOTL.ZS
How much value per cubic metre of water?
Water productivity moved from 45.98 $/m3 to 81.91 $/m3 across 27 recorded years.
World Bank ER.GDP.FWTL.M3.KD
How much goes on health?
Health spending moved from 6.11% to 6.26% across 23 recorded years.
World Bank SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS
How much forest is there in total?
Forest area moved from 182122 km2 to 148998 km2 across 28 recorded years.
World Bank AG.LND.FRST.K2
How much electricity per person?
Electric power use moved from 917.38 kWh to 1641 kWh across 28 recorded years.
World Bank EG.USE.ELEC.KH.PC
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
Current path
Every line above is a recorded World Bank series for this country. The current path is simply those series continuing at the pace already measured.
Computed from: recorded series, no policy change assumed
Best case
The pledges are met on their own stated timetables and the weakest pillars are lifted to match the strongest. Botswana already shows it can do this: heritage scores 5/5.
Computed from: each published target delivered on its own date
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. On the certified measure the country scores at the bottom. Lifting it toward the 5/5 the strongest pillars already reach is what the best case turns on.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift food and farming
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Botswana's record. 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. Lifting it toward the 5/5 the strongest pillars already reach is what the best case turns on.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift natural fibres
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Botswana's record. 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. Lifting it toward the 5/5 the strongest pillars already reach is what the best case turns on.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Government and Goals in Botswana.
Who is in charge of Botswana now · office-holders and institutions as published by the state itself; 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: 62 / 100. Above the halfway mark of governments measured. World Bank WGI 2024
Control of corruption: 60.6 / 100. Above the halfway mark of governments measured. World Bank WGI 2024
Political stability and absence of violence: 83.5 / 100. Among the strongest measured. World Bank WGI 2024
Rule of law: 62.3 / 100. Above the halfway mark of governments measured. World Bank WGI 2024
Regulatory quality: 61.2 / 100. Above the halfway mark of governments measured. World Bank WGI 2024
Duma BokoPresident
ParliamentLegislature, unicameral
Next electionOctober 2029
Last election31 October 2024
Constitutioncurrent text dates from 1960
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
! close
Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted by more than 190 parties in December 2022. Botswana currently protects 29.1% of its land, which is 97% of the way to the pledge. ↗
2030
Paris Agreement pledge
on record
Botswana has a Nationally Determined Contribution lodged with the UNFCCC. The registry holds the current text, its target year and the sectors it covers. ↗
Plastic policy
in force
A ban on thin plastic carrier bags has been in force since November 2018..
Grid, as it stands
0.3% renewable
Recorded renewable share of electricity output, the number every energy pledge is measured against. ↗
Plain Answers About Botswana.
The questions people actually type, answered in full sentences from the sourced data above.
swipe →
Is Botswana sustainable?
Botswana scores 58 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 29.1 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 one of humanity's oldest living traditions, including 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.
Botswana sits 67 of 77 at 58/100. Every name links to its own destination page, built exactly like this one. The full ranking →
What is Botswana particularly good at?
✓Conservation, scored 5/5. Botswana protects 29.1 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.
✓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 one of humanity's oldest living traditions, including 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.
✓Culture, scored 4/5. 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.
Where does Botswana score worst?
✕Recycling, scored 2/5. 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.
✕Water, scored 2/5. 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.
✕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.
Similar countries doing it better and worse
TanzaniaScored on the same twelve pillars as Botswana.75
EthiopiaScored on the same twelve pillars as Botswana.72
UgandaScored on the same twelve pillars as Botswana.70
South AfricaScored on the same twelve pillars as Botswana.62
EgyptScored on the same twelve pillars as Botswana.60
SeychellesScored on the same twelve pillars as Botswana.57
A note from the lens of mother natureswipe →
Energy, 3/5
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 2.74 tonnes of CO2 a year because overall energy consumption remains low.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Botswana's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Food and farming, 2/5
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.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Botswana's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Heritage, 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 one of humanity's oldest living traditions, including the trance and healing dance and deep indigenous knowledge of desert ecology.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Botswana's record, so it is where the score moves first.
The Botswana Directory.
Everything on Hold The Throne that sits in Botswana, checked and listed.
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2024. Percentile among all governments measured.
Government effectiveness
59.4 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2024. Percentile among all governments measured.
Rule of law
62.3 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2024. Percentile among all governments measured.
Political stability
83.5 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2024. Percentile among all governments measured.
Voice and accountability
62 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2024. Percentile among all governments measured.
Environmental Performance Index
49.2 / 100 · 66 of 180
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2024, ranked 66 of 180 countries assessed.
Ecosystem vitality
74.9 / 100 · 8 of 180
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2024, ranked 8 of 180 countries assessed.
Biodiversity and habitat
85.6 / 100 · 1 of 180
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2024, ranked 1 of 180 countries assessed.
Air pollution
83.5 / 100 · 50 of 180
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2024, ranked 50 of 180 countries assessed.
Terrestrial biomes protected
87.4 / 100 · 30 of 180
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2024, ranked 30 of 180 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. 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
Conservation
Land and sea actually protected, not pledged
02
Wildlife
What survives, what is endemic, what is lost
03
Water
Fresh water per person, and the ocean’s health
04
Food & farming
Whether the place can feed itself
05
Organic & clean
Certified land and pesticide reality
06
Climate & energy
Emissions per person, how the grid is powered
07
Waste
Where the rubbish goes, what comes back
08
Health
What people eat and die of
09
Heritage
Living culture, and what the law keeps standing
10
Ownership
Who owns the economy, how much of a dollar stays
11
Governance
Freedom, honesty, promises kept
12
Future
Measured trends run forward, pledges against pace
What each 0 to 5 pillar score means, in plain words
One index, every destination. 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
