Fiatmap

MacroBotswana

Unemployment rate in Botswana

How hard is it to have a job there?

Botswana's unemployment rate is 24.48 % — #123 of 124 countries on the atlas (lower is better). Period 2025.

24.48%

Checked 8 Sept 2026Period 2025

Source: World Bank open data (GDP growth, GDP/capita, unemployment, government debt)

Unemployment rate in Botswana over time

24.48 %20.18 %15.88 %15.88 % · 20002000: 15.88 %2001: 18.54 %2002: 21.28 %2003: 23.80 %2004: 21.75 %2005: 19.85 %2006: 17.78 %2007: 16.98 %2008: 16.29 %2009: 16.17 %2010: 17.86 %2011: 18.05 %2012: 17.92 %2013: 18.17 %2014: 18.48 %2015: 18.91 %2016: 19.33 %2017: 19.67 %2018: 19.66 %2019: 20.09 %2020: 21.02 %2021: 23.11 %2022: 23.61 %2023: 23.38 %2024: 23.81 %2025: 24.48 %20002012202524.48 %
26 official observations, 2000 → 2025. Every point is a published value — never interpolated.
Rank
#123 of 124
lower is better
Ranked behind
1 %
1 of 124 countries
Latest move
▲ 0.67 pp
since 2024
Full series
▲ 8.60 pp
since 2000

In Africa: #20 of 21vs median 5.25 %: +19.22 pp (worse)

Among 124 countries

6 of 124 countries between 0.78 % and 1.53 %6 of 124 countries between 1.53 % and 2.28 %12 of 124 countries between 2.28 % and 3.03 %16 of 124 countries between 3.03 % and 3.78 %7 of 124 countries between 3.78 % and 4.53 %15 of 124 countries between 4.53 % and 5.28 %14 of 124 countries between 5.28 % and 6.02 %7 of 124 countries between 6.02 % and 6.77 %6 of 124 countries between 6.77 % and 7.52 %2 of 124 countries between 7.52 % and 8.27 %10 of 124 countries between 8.27 % and 9.02 %3 of 124 countries between 9.02 % and 9.77 %3 of 124 countries between 9.77 % and 10.52 %2 of 124 countries between 10.52 % and 11.27 %3 of 124 countries between 11.27 % and 12.02 %1 of 124 countries between 12.02 % and 12.77 %1 of 124 countries between 12.77 % and 13.51 %2 of 124 countries between 13.51 % and 14.26 %1 of 124 countries between 14.26 % and 15.01 %2 of 124 countries between 15.01 % and 15.76 %1 of 124 countries between 16.51 % and 17.26 %4 of 124 countries between 18.01 % and 18.76 %median 5.23 %Botswana: ahead of 1 % of the 124 countries with a published unemploymentBotswana 24.48 % →0.78 %18.76 %
Half of all 124 countries sit between 3.30 % and 8.30 %. Botswana is ahead of 1 % of them. Axis trimmed to the 2nd–98th percentile; 5 values beyond it sit in the end bars.

The neighbourhood

#CountryUnemploymentvs Botswana
120 Jordan16.54 %−7.94 pp
121 Libya18.76 %−5.72 pp
122 Namibia19.29 %−5.19 pp
123 Botswana24.48 %—
124 South Africa32.39 %+7.91 pp

Unemployment, share of the labour force (World Bank / ILO estimate).

How to read this figure

Share of the labour force without work but actively seeking it (World Bank / ILO harmonised estimate). People outside the labour force — students, carers, the discouraged — are not counted.

Next, about Botswana

Average monthly salaryGDP growthGDP per capita
Unemployment rate, all countries ranked →Compare Botswana with another country →Everything about Botswana →
Did this answer your question?