Merchandise trade in Botswana
Botswana: Merchandise trade was 57.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Merchandise trade in Botswana, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise trade in Botswana is 57.8%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 6.2% on the previous year and down 42.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in Botswana peaked at 128.4% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 51.7%, in 1961.
That places Botswana 90th out of 204 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Merchandise trade in Botswana, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 55.9% | — |
| 1961 | 51.7% | -7.6% |
| 1962 | 56.1% | +8.6% |
| 1963 | 60.4% | +7.6% |
| 1964 | 60.1% | -0.5% |
| 1965 | 80.8% | +34.5% |
| 1966 | 79.7% | -1.4% |
| 1967 | 75.0% | -5.8% |
| 1968 | 64.9% | -13.5% |
| 1969 | 82.7% | +27.5% |
| 1970 | 86.2% | +4.2% |
| 1971 | 98.1% | +13.7% |
| 1972 | 102.2% | +4.2% |
| 1973 | 102.8% | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 99.7% | -3.1% |
| 1975 | 100.8% | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 101.9% | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 104.5% | +2.6% |
| 1978 | 102.3% | -2.1% |
| 1979 | 120.6% | +17.9% |
| 1980 | 112.5% | -6.7% |
| 1981 | 111.2% | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 112.6% | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 116.9% | +3.8% |
| 1984 | 109.4% | -6.4% |
| 1985 | 117.3% | +7.3% |
| 1986 | 113.1% | -3.6% |
| 1987 | 128.4% | +13.6% |
| 1988 | 100.6% | -21.7% |
| 1989 | 108.9% | +8.2% |
| 1990 | 98.4% | -9.6% |
| 1991 | 96.3% | -2.2% |
| 1992 | 86.9% | -9.7% |
| 1993 | 85.4% | -1.8% |
| 1994 | 82.6% | -3.2% |
| 1995 | 85.7% | +3.7% |
| 1996 | 86.0% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 101.6% | +18.1% |
| 1998 | 89.9% | -11.5% |
| 1999 | 88.3% | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 82.2% | -6.9% |
| 2001 | 78.7% | -4.2% |
| 2002 | 78.5% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 70.0% | -10.8% |
| 2004 | 75.3% | +7.6% |
| 2005 | 76.5% | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 76.8% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 87.4% | +13.9% |
| 2008 | 94.7% | +8.3% |
| 2009 | 80.9% | -14.6% |
| 2010 | 81.9% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 87.1% | +6.3% |
| 2012 | 100.6% | +15.6% |
| 2013 | 114.0% | +13.2% |
| 2014 | 107.2% | -5.9% |
| 2015 | 100.2% | -6.6% |
| 2016 | 89.6% | -10.6% |
| 2017 | 69.5% | -22.4% |
| 2018 | 75.6% | +8.8% |
| 2019 | 70.6% | -6.7% |
| 2020 | 72.0% | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 84.4% | +17.1% |
| 2022 | 81.1% | -3.9% |
| 2023 | 63.2% | -22.0% |
| 2024 | 61.6% | -2.5% |
| 2025 | 57.8% | -6.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 66.7% | 51.7% | 82.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 101.9% | 86.2% | 120.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 113.1% | 100.6% | 128.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 90.1% | 82.6% | 101.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 80.1% | 70.0% | 94.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 89.6% | 69.5% | 114.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.0% | 57.8% | 84.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
- 87 Marshall Islands 59.4% compare
- 88 Qatar 58.6% compare
- 89 Ukraine 57.9% compare
- 91 Mauritius 57.4% compare
- 92 South Africa 57.2% compare
- 93 Timor-Leste 56.9% compare
More private sector data for Botswana
- 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$), annual growth rate 9.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 2,496 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in Botswana?
- Merchandise trade in Botswana was 57.8% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 128.4% in 1987.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.7% in 1961.
- How does Botswana rank for merchandise trade?
- Botswana ranks 90th out of 204 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 42.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from World Trade Organization (WTO), published as part of Merchandise trade (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
General merchandise trade includes goods whose economic ownership is changed between a resident and a non-resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e. It is the total of merchandise exports plus merchandise imports. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.