Merchandise trade in Botswana
Botswana: Merchandise trade was 57.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Merchandise trade in Botswana, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise trade in Botswana is 57.8%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 6.2% on the previous year and down 42.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in Botswana peaked at 128.4% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 51.7%, in 1961.
That places Botswana 90th out of 204 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 66.7% | 51.7% | 82.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 101.9% | 86.2% | 120.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 113.1% | 100.6% | 128.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 90.1% | 82.6% | 101.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 80.1% | 70.0% | 94.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 89.6% | 69.5% | 114.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.0% | 57.8% | 84.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
- 87 Marshall Islands 59.4% compare
- 88 Qatar 58.6% compare
- 89 Ukraine 57.9% compare
- 91 Mauritius 57.4% compare
- 92 South Africa 57.2% compare
- 93 East Timor 56.9% compare
More private sector data for Botswana
- Merchandise exports 5.12 billion current US$ (2025)
- Manufactures exports 86.3% (2023)
- Food exports 1.9% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 6.39 billion current US$ (2025)
- Manufactures imports 61.8% (2023)
- Food imports 16.2% (2023)
- Commercial service exports 934.97 million current US$ (2024)
- Transport services 26.7% (2024)
- Computer, communications and other services 61.2% (2024)
- Commercial service imports 1.29 billion current US$ (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade in Botswana?
- Merchandise trade in Botswana was 57.8% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 128.4% in 1987.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.7% in 1961.
- How does Botswana rank for merchandise trade?
- Botswana ranks 90th out of 204 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 42.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from World Trade Organization (WTO), published as part of Merchandise trade (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
General merchandise trade includes goods whose economic ownership is changed between a resident and a non-resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e. It is the total of merchandise exports plus merchandise imports. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.