Poverty gap index at $3 a day in Botswana
Botswana: Poverty gap index at $3 a day was 6.5% in 2015. ▼ Falling
Poverty gap index at $3 a day in Botswana, 1985–2015
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for poverty gap index at $3 a day in Botswana is 6.5%, measured in 2015. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of down 51.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty gap index at $3 a day in Botswana peaked at 22.7% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 6.5%, in 2015.
Botswana ranks 20th of 120 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Poverty gap index at $3 a day in Botswana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 22.7% | — |
| 1993 | 17.7% | -21.9% |
| 2002 | 13.4% | -24.1% |
| 2009 | 7.0% | -47.8% |
| 2015 | 6.5% | -7.4% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 6.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.4%, 15.8× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 6.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 11.1%, 58% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 22.7% | 22.7% | 22.7% | 1 |
| 1990s | 17.7% | 17.7% | 17.7% | 1 |
| 2000s | 10.2% | 7.0% | 13.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 6.5% | 6.5% | 6.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More poverty & inequality data for Botswana
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 0 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 2.73 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 900.4 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 3.47 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 22.79 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 22.8% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is poverty gap index at $3 a day in Botswana?
- Poverty gap index at $3 a day in Botswana was 6.5% in 2015, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest poverty gap index at $3 a day recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 22.7% in 1985.
- What is the lowest poverty gap index at $3 a day recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.5% in 2015.
- How does Botswana rank for poverty gap index at $3 a day?
- Botswana ranks 20th out of 120 countries with data for 2015.
- Is poverty gap index at $3 a day rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 51.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Poverty gap index at $3 a day. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The poverty gap index is a poverty measure that reflects both the prevalence and the depth of poverty. It is calculated as the share of population in poverty multiplied by the average shortfall from the poverty line (expressed as a % of the poverty line).