Aid, poverty & equality · Sub-Saharan Africa · Upper-middle income
Botswana: poverty, inequality and aid
Extreme poverty is 21.4% (2015), 34th of 151 in the world and 32nd of 44 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Poverty, $4.20/day is 35.8% (2015), 37th of 151 in the world and 33rd of 44 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Poverty, $8.30/day is 63.2% (2015), 48th of 151 in the world and 38th of 44 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Undernourishment
BotswanaSub-Saharan AfricaUpper-middle incomeWorld
Food insecurity
BotswanaUpper-middle incomeWorld
14 indicators
Aid, poverty & equality: Botswana in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Sub-Saharan Africa; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme povertyExtreme poverty, $3.00 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 21.4%2015 | 34/151 | 32/44 | 34.8%2002 | 21.1%2009 | · | −13.4 ppsince 2002 | 45.0% | 2.1% | 10.1% | |
| Poverty, $4.20/dayPoverty at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 35.8%2015 | 37/151 | 33/44 | 49.2%2002 | 33.9%2009 | · | −13.4 ppsince 2002 | 63.2% | 5.4% | 18.2% | |
| Poverty, $8.30/dayPoverty at $8.30 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 63.2%2015 | 48/151 | 38/44 | 70.6%2002 | 62.7%2009 | · | −7.4 ppsince 2002 | 88.6% | 26.4% | 46.2% | |
| National poverty ratePoverty at national poverty lines, % of population | 16.1%2015 | 101/145 | 43/45 | 30.6%2002 | 19.3%2009 | · | −14.5 ppsince 2002 | — | — | — | |
| Gini indexGini index of income inequality | 54.92015 | 2/151 | 2/44 | 61.52002 | 56.92009 | · | −11%since 2002 | — | — | — | |
| Top 10% income shareIncome share held by the richest 10% | 42.9%2015 | 2/151 | 2/44 | 50.0%2002 | 46.5%2009 | · | −7.1 ppsince 2002 | — | — | — | |
| Bottom 20% income shareIncome share held by the poorest 20% | 3.7%2015 | 145/151 | 41/44 | 2.7%2002 | 3.3%2009 | · | +1.0 ppsince 2002 | — | — | — | |
| UndernourishmentPrevalence of undernourishment, % of population | 18.2%2024 | 31/167 | 24/44 | 28.1%2001 | 20.5% | 20.6% | −2.3 ppsince 2014 | 22.3% | 4.0% | 8.1% | |
| Food insecurityModerate or severe food insecurity, % of population | 52.0%2024 | 32/155 | 26/38 | · | · | 55.6% | — | — | 12.6% | 28.0% | |
| Account ownershipAccount ownership (bank or mobile money), % of adults | 61.4%2024 | 89/145 | 13/36 | · | 30.3%2011 | 58.8%2022 | +9.5 ppsince 2014 | 55.1% | 84.0% | 78.7% | |
| Women in parliamentSeats held by women in national parliament, % | 9.0%2025 | 172/190 | 44/46 | 17.0% | 7.9% | 10.8% | −0.6 ppsince 2015 | 27.0% | 27.0% | 27.2% | |
| Net ODA receivedNet official development assistance received, US$ | $285m2023 | 84/145 | 35/48 | $30.6m | $153m | $80.2m | +165%since 2013 | $64.8bn | $57.4bn | $259bn | |
| ODA, % of GNINet ODA received, % of GNI | 1.5%2023 | 83/139 | 40/47 | 0.6% | 1.3% | 0.5% | +0.7 ppsince 2013 | 3.1% | 0.2% | 0.2% | |
| ODA per personNet ODA received per capita, US$ | $1152023 | 40/145 | 9/48 | $18.3 | $75.3 | $33.9 | +129%since 2013 | $51.5 | $18.8 | $32.2 |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Extreme poverty−13.4 pp21.4% in 2015
- Poverty, $4.20/day−13.4 pp35.8% in 2015
- Poverty, $8.30/day−7.4 pp63.2% in 2015
- National poverty rate−14.5 pp16.1% in 2015
Worse than ten years ago
- Women in parliament−0.6 pp9.0% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Botswana and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Botswana. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Botswana | South Africa | Zambia | Zimbabwe | Namibia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme poverty | 21.4%2015 | 17.4%2022 | 71.7%2022 | 49.2%2019 | 22.9%2015 |
| Poverty, $4.20/day | 35.8%2015 | 30.2%2022 | 81.4%2022 | 64.6%2019 | 35.0%2015 |
| Poverty, $8.30/day | 63.2%2015 | 59.6%2022 | 94.0%2022 | 86.2%2019 | 61.1%2015 |
| National poverty rate | 16.1%2015 | 37.9%2022 | 60.0%2022 | 38.3%2019 | 17.4%2015 |
| Gini index | 54.92015 | 54.12022 | 51.52022 | 50.32019 | 59.12015 |
| Top 10% income share | 42.9%2015 | 42.1%2022 | 39.1%2022 | 40.5%2019 | 47.2%2015 |
| Bottom 20% income share | 3.7%2015 | 3.7%2022 | 3.9%2022 | 4.8%2019 | 2.8%2015 |
| Undernourishment | 18.2%2024 | 11.2%2024 | 41.0%2024 | 18.4%2024 | 20.1%2024 |
| Food insecurity | 52.0%2024 | 20.9%2024 | 45.8%2024 | 70.1%2024 | 54.0%2024 |