Gross external debt, Percent of GDP (Balance of Payments and) in Botswana

Botswana: Gross external debt, Percent of GDP (Balance of Payments and) was 15.34 in 2027. ▲ Rising

Latest (2027)
15.34
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
39th
of 45 countries
All-time high
21.1
in 2010
All-time low
2.59
in 2008
Years of data
28
2000–2027

Gross external debt, Percent of GDP (Balance of Payments and) in Botswana, 2000–2027

51015202000201320272000: 82001: 6.42002: 9.92003: 6.62004: 5.82005: 42006: 3.22007: 2.82008: 2.62009: 16.22010: 21.12011: 17.72012: 20.32013: 17.82014: 17.12015: 17.62016: 15.22017: 13.12018: 12.12019: 12.62020: 12.52021: 10.62022: 9.42023: 10.52024: 10.72025: 13.72026: 152027: 15.3

Source: International Monetary Fund.

Analysis

In 2027, gross external debt, percent of gdp (balance of payments and) in Botswana stood at 15.34.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 16.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, gross external debt, percent of gdp (balance of payments and) in Botswana peaked at 21.1 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 2.59, in 2008.

Botswana ranks 39th of 45 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.

Gross external debt, Percent of GDP (Balance of Payments and) in Botswana, year by year

Annual values for Gross external debt, Percent of GDP (Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual, Sixth Edition (BPM6)) in Botswana, 2000 to 2027.
Year Value Change
2000 7.96
2001 6.36 -20.1%
2002 9.89 +55.4%
2003 6.61 -33.1%
2004 5.8 -12.3%
2005 3.95 -31.8%
2006 3.19 -19.4%
2007 2.79 -12.4%
2008 2.59 -7.1%
2009 16.16 +522.7%
2010 21.1 +30.6%
2011 17.67 -16.3%
2012 20.3 +14.9%
2013 17.82 -12.2%
2014 17.08 -4.1%
2015 17.65 +3.3%
2016 15.19 -13.9%
2017 13.14 -13.5%
2018 12.06 -8.2%
2019 12.64 +4.8%
2020 12.53 -0.9%
2021 10.63 -15.2%
2022 9.43 -11.2%
2023 10.49 +11.2%
2024 10.68 +1.8%
2025 13.75 +28.7%
2026 15.01 +9.1%
2027 15.34 +2.2%

Botswana compared with similar countries

  • Botswana's 15.34 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 26.53, 58% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
  • Botswana's 15.34 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 17.49, 88% of the median. (6 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Gross external debt, Percent of GDP (Balance of Payments and) 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.

YearChange FromTo
2009 +522.7% 2.59 16.16

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 6.53 2.59 16.16 10
2010s 16.46 12.06 21.1 10
2020s 12.23 9.43 15.34 8

Countries ranked near Botswana

  1. 36 Burkina Faso 19.1 compare
  2. 37 Chad 17.51 compare
  3. 38 Nigeria 16.85 compare
  4. 40 Mauritius 15.12 compare
  5. 41 Mali 15.02 compare
  6. 42 Democratic Republic of Congo 14.54 compare

See the full ranking of 64 places →

More external debt data for Botswana

All data for Botswana →

Frequently asked questions

What is gross external debt, percent of gdp (balance of payments and) in Botswana?
Gross external debt, percent of gdp (balance of payments and) in Botswana was 15.34 in 2027, according to International Monetary Fund.
What is the highest gross external debt, percent of gdp (balance of payments and) recorded in Botswana?
The highest recorded value was 21.1 in 2010.
What is the lowest gross external debt, percent of gdp (balance of payments and) recorded in Botswana?
The lowest recorded value was 2.59 in 2008.
How does Botswana rank for gross external debt, percent of gdp (balance of payments and)?
Botswana ranks 39th out of 45 countries with data for 2027.
Is gross external debt, percent of gdp (balance of payments and) rising or falling in Botswana?
Over the last ten years it is up 16.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Botswana data come from?
The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Gross external debt, Percent of GDP (Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual, Sixth Edition (BPM6)). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Gross external debt, Percent of GDP (Balance of Payments and) in Botswana. Statizoid, drawing on International Monetary Fund. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://debt.statizoid.com/stat/gross-external-debt-percent-of-gdp-balance-of-payments-and-international-investment/botswana/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://debt.statizoid.com/stat/gross-external-debt-percent-of-gdp-balance-of-payments-and-international-investment/botswana/">Gross external debt, Percent of GDP (Balance of Payments and) in Botswana</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Gross external debt, Percent of GDP (Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual, Sixth Edition (BPM6))
Source
International Monetary Fund
Licence
IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
64 places, 1,765 data points, 2000–2027
Last refreshed

Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Economic Outlook (REO) provides information on recent economic developments and prospects for countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Data for the REO for sub-Saharan Africa are prepared in conjunction with the semi-annual World Economic Outlook (WEO) exercises, spring and fall.