Share of population living below national poverty lines in Botswana
Botswana: Share of population living below national poverty lines was 16.1% in 2015. ▼ Falling
Share of population living below national poverty lines in Botswana, 1985–2015
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living below national poverty lines in Botswana is 16.1%, measured in 2015. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of down 47.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living below national poverty lines in Botswana peaked at 59.0% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 16.1%, in 2015.
Botswana ranks 41st of 70 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of population living below national poverty lines in Botswana, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 59.0% | — |
| 1993 | 32.9% | -44.2% |
| 2002 | 30.6% | -7.0% |
| 2009 | 19.3% | -36.9% |
| 2015 | 16.1% | -16.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 59.0% | 59.0% | 59.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 32.9% | 32.9% | 32.9% | 1 |
| 2000s | 25.0% | 19.3% | 30.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 16.1% | 16.1% | 16.1% | 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 share of population living below national poverty lines in Botswana?
- Share of population living below national poverty lines in Botswana was 16.1% in 2015, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living below national poverty lines recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 59.0% in 1985.
- What is the lowest share of population living below national poverty lines recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.1% in 2015.
- How does Botswana rank for share of population living below national poverty lines?
- Botswana ranks 41st out of 70 countries with data for 2015.
- Is share of population living below national poverty lines rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 47.4%. 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) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living below national poverty lines. 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
National poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty lines. National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys.