Botswana

Botswana's unemployment rate of 24.5% is the figure that stands out. Real GDP contracted 0.7% in 2025, though US$ GDP rose 3.3% to US$19.9 billion, still short of its 2022 peak of US$20.3 billion. The country slipped 2 places to 134th, between Moldova and Afghanistan.

Services make up 64.6% of output and industry 27.9%, with manufacturing at 5.7% and agriculture at just 1.8%. Inflation was 2.7% and government gross debt 34.0% of GDP.

With 2.6 million people, output per person is US$7,778, 101st of 196, and $20,698 international dollars on a purchasing-power basis, 98th. Botswana is the 24th largest of 47 economies in Sub-Saharan Africa and about the size of the Columbus, GA metro area. GDP has grown 3.4x since 2000, when it stood at US$5.8 billion and ranked 112th. The IMF projects US$30.4 billion by 2030, a rise of +53% that would place Botswana 126th among economies with forecasts.