Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Botswana
Botswana: Merchandise imports by the reporting economy was 5.89 billion current US$ in 2023. ▲ Rising
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Botswana, 2000–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in current US$.
Analysis
Botswana recorded 5.89 billion current US$ for merchandise imports by the reporting economy in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 20.5% on the previous year and down 37.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Botswana peaked at 10.29 billion current US$ in 2012 and was at its lowest, 1.81 billion current US$, in 2001.
That places Botswana 132nd out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Botswana, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2.07 billion current US$ | — |
| 2001 | 1.81 billion current US$ | -12.8% |
| 2002 | 3.35 billion current US$ | +85.1% |
| 2003 | 3.96 billion current US$ | +18.4% |
| 2004 | 3.24 billion current US$ | -18.3% |
| 2005 | 3.16 billion current US$ | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 3.05 billion current US$ | -3.4% |
| 2007 | 3.99 billion current US$ | +30.6% |
| 2008 | 5.21 billion current US$ | +30.7% |
| 2009 | 4.73 billion current US$ | -9.3% |
| 2010 | 5.09 billion current US$ | +7.6% |
| 2011 | 8.31 billion current US$ | +63.2% |
| 2012 | 10.29 billion current US$ | +23.9% |
| 2013 | 9.42 billion current US$ | -8.5% |
| 2014 | 9.15 billion current US$ | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 8.04 billion current US$ | -12.1% |
| 2016 | 6.10 billion current US$ | -24.1% |
| 2017 | 5.33 billion current US$ | -12.6% |
| 2018 | 6.15 billion current US$ | +15.3% |
| 2019 | 6.34 billion current US$ | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 6.01 billion current US$ | -5.2% |
| 2021 | 7.47 billion current US$ | +24.3% |
| 2022 | 7.41 billion current US$ | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 5.89 billion current US$ | -20.5% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 5.89 billion current US$ is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 15.63 billion current US$, 38% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 5.89 billion current US$ is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.61 billion current US$, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.46 billion current US$ | 1.81 billion current US$ | 5.21 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.42 billion current US$ | 5.09 billion current US$ | 10.29 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.69 billion current US$ | 5.89 billion current US$ | 7.47 billion current US$ | 4 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
- 130 Papua New Guinea 6.32 billion current US$ compare
- 131 Congo 5.96 billion current US$ compare
- 133 Burkina Faso 5.88 billion current US$ compare
- 134 Brunei 5.69 billion current US$ compare
- 135 Laos 5.47 billion current US$ compare
More private sector data for Botswana
- Merchandise trade 57.8% (2025)
- Food imports 16.2% (2023)
- Manufactures imports 61.8% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 6.39 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 1.9% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 86.3% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 5.12 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 1,998 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2569 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 9.73 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Botswana?
- Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Botswana was 5.89 billion current US$ in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports by the reporting economy recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 10.29 billion current US$ in 2012.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports by the reporting economy recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.81 billion current US$ in 2001.
- How does Botswana rank for merchandise imports by the reporting economy?
- Botswana ranks 132nd out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports by the reporting economy rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 37.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as part of Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy are the total merchandise imports by the reporting economy from the rest of the world, as reported in the IMF's Direction of trade database. Data are in current U.S. dollars.