Travel services (% of commercial service imports) in Botswana
Botswana: Travel services (% of commercial service imports) was 9.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Travel services in Botswana, 1975–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of commercial service imports.
Analysis
The most recent figure for travel services in Botswana is 9.4%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 6.4% on the previous year and down 61.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, travel services in Botswana peaked at 56.6% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 6.6%, in 2021.
That places Botswana 157th out of 198 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.
Travel services (% of commercial service imports) in Botswana, year by year
| Year | % of commercial service imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 44.1% | — |
| 1976 | 10.2% | -76.9% |
| 1977 | 10.3% | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 10.2% | -0.7% |
| 1979 | 29.9% | +193.0% |
| 1980 | 29.5% | -1.3% |
| 1981 | 28.4% | -3.7% |
| 1982 | 26.2% | -7.6% |
| 1983 | 21.1% | -19.7% |
| 1984 | 22.2% | +5.5% |
| 1985 | 25.7% | +15.6% |
| 1986 | 27.1% | +5.4% |
| 1987 | 24.0% | -11.4% |
| 1988 | 24.5% | +2.1% |
| 1989 | 23.8% | -3.0% |
| 1990 | 15.0% | -37.0% |
| 1991 | 17.8% | +18.6% |
| 1992 | 21.0% | +18.0% |
| 1993 | 24.5% | +16.6% |
| 1994 | 21.6% | -11.9% |
| 1995 | 33.0% | +53.0% |
| 1996 | 22.6% | -31.6% |
| 1997 | 21.1% | -6.7% |
| 1998 | 24.2% | +14.8% |
| 1999 | 28.5% | +17.9% |
| 2000 | 36.7% | +28.9% |
| 2001 | 56.6% | +54.0% |
| 2002 | 54.3% | -3.9% |
| 2003 | 50.9% | -6.3% |
| 2004 | 49.2% | -3.4% |
| 2005 | 48.9% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 47.7% | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 38.8% | -18.6% |
| 2008 | 41.5% | +7.0% |
| 2009 | 36.6% | -12.0% |
| 2010 | 36.1% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 33.8% | -6.6% |
| 2012 | 31.5% | -6.9% |
| 2013 | 26.8% | -14.9% |
| 2014 | 24.0% | -10.2% |
| 2015 | 24.5% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 25.0% | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 23.5% | -5.8% |
| 2018 | 24.0% | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 22.2% | -7.4% |
| 2020 | 7.0% | -68.5% |
| 2021 | 6.6% | -6.4% |
| 2022 | 7.8% | +19.4% |
| 2023 | 7.6% | -2.7% |
| 2024 | 10.0% | +31.5% |
| 2025 | 9.4% | -6.4% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 9.4% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 23.2%, 40% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 9.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.4%, 100% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Travel services (% of commercial service imports) in Botswana changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | +193.0% | 10.2% | 29.9% |
| 1976 | -76.9% | 44.1% | 10.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 20.9% | 10.2% | 44.1% | 5 |
| 1980s | 25.3% | 21.1% | 29.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.9% | 15.0% | 33.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 46.1% | 36.6% | 56.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.1% | 22.2% | 36.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.1% | 6.6% | 10.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
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)
- Commercial service imports 1.30 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 1.9% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 86.3% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 5.12 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 1.05 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 1,998 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is travel services in Botswana?
- Travel services in Botswana was 9.4% in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest travel services recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 56.6% in 2001.
- What is the lowest travel services recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.6% in 2021.
- How does Botswana rank for travel services?
- Botswana ranks 157th out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Is travel services rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 61.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Travel services (% of commercial service imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Travel services cover goods and services for own use or to give away acquired from an economy by nonresidents during visits to that economy, or acquired from other economies by residents during visits to these other economies. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service imports which are commercial services provided by non-residents to residents.