🇧🇼 Botswana National Debt Clock
Live tracker for Botswana government debt. The national debt currently stands at approximately $8.7 billion, growing at $70 per second based on IMF projections. Debt-to-GDP: 34%. Per-citizen share: $3,384.
Among the 194 governments tracked here, Botswana ranks 151st by debt-to-GDP, 141st by total debt and 112th by debt per person.
Botswana's Debt Trajectory (2015–2025)
Botswana's ratio has risen past its previous high of 31% (2024) to roughly 34% at end-2025. Source: IMF World Economic Outlook, October 2026, general government gross debt.
Botswana Net Debt and Interest
The IMF puts Botswana's net debt at 33% of GDP, against 34% gross. Net debt subtracts the financial assets a government holds against what it owes. The IMF's figures put Botswana's net interest bill at about 1.3% of GDP in 2025, about $252 million, or 5.0% of government revenue. That is 103rd of the 177 governments ranked by interest as a share of revenue.
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook, October 2026, general government, 2025, mostly IMF estimates. Net debt leaves out equity holdings, and what counts as an asset varies by country. Net interest is the primary balance minus the overall balance. A government in default or arrears can show a low figure that understates what it owes. Data · method.
About Botswana's National Debt
Botswana's debt-to-GDP ratio of 34% is low by international standards: higher than 22% of the 194 governments tracked here. No ratio is safe or dangerous on its own — whether a debt is sustainable depends on the interest rate on it, how fast the economy grows, the currency it is owed in and who holds it. By total government debt, Botswana ranks 141st of the 194 governments tracked here.
At the current borrowing rate of $70 per second, Botswana adds about $6 million to its government debt every day — roughly $2.2 billion per year. Each of Botswana's 3 million residents carries an individual share of approximately $3,384. That is below the world average of roughly $14,700 in government debt per person.
Figures are computed by Global Debt Clock by linear extrapolation from each country's baseline figure, named in the source line on this page (for most countries, the IMF World Economic Outlook, October 2026). Actual debt changes through discrete bond issuances — these counters illustrate the approximate scale and pace of sovereign borrowing.
Botswana National Debt — Frequently Asked Questions
What is Botswana's national debt right now?
Botswana's national debt is approximately $8.7 billion as of November 8, 2026, growing at $70 per second. Its debt-to-GDP ratio is 34% and each citizen's share is about $3,384.
How fast is Botswana's debt growing?
Botswana's government debt is growing at approximately $70 per second — about $6 million per day — derived from the IMF's projections for 2026.
What is Botswana's debt per capita?
Each of Botswana's 3 million residents carries a notional share of approximately $3,384 of the national debt.
What is Botswana's debt-to-GDP ratio?
Botswana's debt-to-GDP ratio is 34%. That is higher than 22% of the 194 governments tracked here.
What is Botswana's net debt?
The IMF puts Botswana's net debt at 33% of GDP, against 34% gross. Net debt subtracts the financial assets a government holds against what it owes.
How much interest does Botswana pay on its debt?
The IMF's figures put Botswana's net interest bill at about 1.3% of GDP in 2025, about $252 million, or 5.0% of government revenue.
Compare Botswana vs another country
Live side-by-side debt comparisons — shareable cards for journalists and social.
Further reading
Other Africa countries
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Data & Citation
Source: IMF WEO October 2026 (GGXWDG, end-2025 stock) · baseline anchored .
Methodology: debt = 6,858,832,316 + 70 × seconds_since(2026-01-01)
Machine-readable data: /api/debt?c=bw (live JSON) · /data/debt.json (full dataset)
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