Botswana — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Botswana, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Botswana was 24.48% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The latest year is also the highest value on record for this series. The lowest was 13.82% in 1991 (about 1.8× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 1.70% per year.
Botswana ranks 4 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 2%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 5.45%, so Botswana sits above it. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 29%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 3 of 47 economies; Gabon (20.15%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 18% in 1992. That is 14% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
Doubling roughly every 41 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 30th of 187 in 1991 → 24th of 187 in 2000 → 19th of 187 in 2010 → 8th of 187 in 2020 → 4th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 24.48% | +0.7 pp |
| 2024 | 23.81% | +0.4 pp |
| 2023 | 23.38% | -0.2 pp |
| 2022 | 23.62% | +0.5 pp |
| 2021 | 23.11% | +2.1 pp |
| 2020 | 21.02% | +0.9 pp |
| 2019 | 20.09% | +0.4 pp |
| 2018 | 19.67% | -0.0 pp |
| 2017 | 19.67% | +0.3 pp |
| 2016 | 19.33% | +0.4 pp |
| 2015 | 18.92% | +0.4 pp |
| 2014 | 18.48% | +0.3 pp |
| 2013 | 18.17% | +0.3 pp |
| 2012 | 17.92% | -0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 18.05% | +0.2 pp |
| 2010 | 17.86% | +1.7 pp |
| 2009 | 16.17% | -0.1 pp |
| 2008 | 16.29% | -0.7 pp |
| 2007 | 16.98% | -0.8 pp |
| 2006 | 17.78% | -2.1 pp |
| 2005 | 19.85% | -1.9 pp |
| 2004 | 21.76% | -2.0 pp |
| 2003 | 23.8% | +2.5 pp |
| 2002 | 21.28% | +2.7 pp |
| 2001 | 18.54% | +2.7 pp |
| 2000 | 15.88% | -2.3 pp |
| 1999 | 18.22% | -2.6 pp |
| 1998 | 20.86% | -0.2 pp |
| 1997 | 21.03% | -0.6 pp |
| 1996 | 21.59% | +0.2 pp |
| 1995 | 21.39% | +0.2 pp |
| 1994 | 21.2% | +2.4 pp |
| 1993 | 18.76% | +2.4 pp |
| 1992 | 16.33% | +2.5 pp |
| 1991 | 13.82% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Botswana’s Unemployment in 1992?
16.33% (1992). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of total labor force, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Botswana’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was growing overall: +77.1% in total — about 1.7% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 24.48%; 2024: 23.81%; 2023: 23.38%; 2022: 23.62%; 2021: 23.11%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.