Botswana vs Namibia
Botswana vs Namibia: Military spending
Military spending in 2025: 3.11% of GDP in Botswana and 2.77% of GDP in Namibia, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Botswana, by 0.34 percentage points, or 1.12 times that in Namibia.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Botswana has been higher since 2025, when it overtook Namibia.
- In 2025, Botswana ranked 24 and Namibia ranked 31 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | Botswana | Namibia |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.11 | 2.77 |
| 2024 | 2.68 | 2.75 |
| 2023 | 1.8 | 2.74 |
| 2022 | 2.52 | 2.91 |
| 2021 | 3.05 | 3.23 |
| 2020 | 3.34 | 3.48 |
| 2019 | 3.08 | 3.3 |
| 2018 | 2.93 | 3.33 |
| 2017 | 3.25 | 3.52 |
| 2016 | 3.41 | 3.97 |
| 2015 | 2.83 | 4.53 |
| 2014 | 2.21 | 4.33 |
| 2013 | 2.15 | 3.21 |
| 2012 | 2.34 | 3.17 |
| 2011 | 2.4 | 3.58 |
| 2010 | 2.76 | 3.52 |
| 2009 | 3.26 | 3.37 |
| 2008 | 3.1 | 3.14 |
| 2007 | 2.9 | 2.61 |
| 2006 | 2.76 | 2.5 |
| 2005 | 2.86 | 2.65 |
| 2004 | 3.51 | 2.53 |
| 2003 | 4.01 | 2.63 |
| 2002 | 4.11 | 2.62 |
| 2001 | 3.83 | 3.01 |
| 2000 | 3.19 | 2.71 |
| 1999 | 3.09 | 3.12 |
| 1998 | 3.78 | 2.32 |
| 1997 | 3.2 | 2.3 |
| 1996 | 2.9 | 1.9 |
| 1995 | 3.51 | 1.95 |
| 1994 | 4.01 | 1.75 |
| 1993 | 4.93 | 2.47 |
| 1992 | 4.48 | 4.25 |
| 1991 | 4.6 | 5.62 |
| 1990 | 4.45 | 6.42 |
| 1989 | 3.57 | – |
| 1988 | 4.9 | – |
| 1987 | 4.79 | – |
| 1986 | 2.66 | – |
| 1985 | 2.19 | – |
| 1984 | 2.44 | – |
| 1983 | 2.33 | – |
| 1982 | 2.7 | – |
| 1981 | 2.98 | – |
| 1980 | 3.21 | – |
| 1979 | 3.5 | – |
| 1978 | 2.88 | – |
| 1977 | 1.36 | – |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the country spends on its armed forces and defence, as a share of its economy, by SIPRI’s count.
- Source: Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Military Expenditure Database, https://doi.org/10.55163/CQGC9685.
- Ranks count the 151 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Botswana vs Namibia
Health
- Life expectancyBotswana: 69.2 years in 2023Namibia: 67.4 years in 2023
- Child mortalityBotswana: 3.3 per 100 live births in 2024Namibia: 4 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityBotswana: 28.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023Namibia: 27.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionBotswana: 3.97% in 2017Namibia: 3.46% in 2017
- Suicide rateBotswana: 10 per 100,000 people in 2017Namibia: 11.8 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationBotswana: 2.48 million people in 2023Namibia: 2.96 million people in 2023
- Population growthBotswana: 1.64% a year in 2023Namibia: 2.37% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateBotswana: 2.73 births per woman in 2023Namibia: 3.21 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationBotswana: 68% in 2025Namibia: 50.9% in 2025
- Median ageBotswana: 22.9 years in 2023Namibia: 21 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overBotswana: 4% in 2023Namibia: 3.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateBotswana: -2.6 per 1,000 people in 2023Namibia: 3.9 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending in US dollarsBotswana: $595M in 2025Namibia: $386M in 2025
- Military spending per personBotswana: $242 in 2025Namibia: $134 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingBotswana: 8.9% of government spending in 2025Namibia: 7% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelBotswana: 9,000 people in 2020Namibia: 16,000 people in 2020
- National powerBotswana: 0.02% of world capability in 2022Namibia: 0.02% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersBotswana: 0.92% of the labour force in 2020Namibia: 1.67% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsBotswana: 11 million TIV in 2024Namibia: 0 TIV in 2025