Botswana vs Zimbabwe
Botswana vs Zimbabwe: GDP growth
GDP growth: -2.8% a year in Botswana in 2024 and 8.3% a year in Zimbabwe in 2025, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Zimbabwe, by 4.6 percentage points.
% a year · IMF
What the numbers say
- Zimbabwe has been higher since 2022, when it overtook Botswana.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Botswana at 4% a year and Zimbabwe at 4.2% a year in 2031.
Every year
% a year · IMF
| Year | Botswana | Zimbabwe |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | -0.7 | 8.3 |
| 2024 | -2.8 | 1.7 |
| 2023 | 3.2 | 5.3 |
| 2022 | 5.5 | 5.7 |
| 2021 | 11.9 | 7.9 |
| 2020 | -8.7 | -11.5 |
| 2019 | 3 | -6.7 |
| 2018 | 4.2 | 4.3 |
| 2017 | 4.1 | 9.8 |
| 2016 | 7.2 | 1.2 |
| 2015 | -4.9 | 2.1 |
| 2014 | 5.7 | 2.4 |
| 2013 | 11.1 | 2 |
| 2012 | -0.2 | 15.4 |
| 2011 | 6.8 | 14.3 |
| 2010 | 10.1 | 19.6 |
| 2009 | -14.1 | 7.4 |
| 2008 | 3.3 | -16.3 |
| 2007 | 5.8 | -3.4 |
| 2006 | 6 | -3.6 |
| 2005 | 5 | -7.4 |
| 2004 | 1.4 | -6.3 |
| 2003 | 5.4 | -16.2 |
| 2002 | 7.4 | -7.7 |
| 2001 | 2.3 | -0.5 |
| 2000 | 4.3 | -4.2 |
| 1999 | 8 | -1.1 |
| 1998 | -1.6 | – |
| 1997 | 7.1 | – |
| 1996 | 2.5 | – |
| 1995 | 8.5 | – |
| 1994 | -0.8 | – |
| 1993 | 4 | – |
| 1992 | -0.2 | – |
| 1991 | 6.2 | – |
| 1990 | 8.8 | – |
| 1989 | 4.7 | – |
| 1988 | 23.4 | – |
| 1987 | 14.9 | – |
| 1986 | 8.6 | – |
| 1985 | 7.7 | – |
| 1984 | 6.5 | – |
| 1983 | 10.8 | – |
| 1982 | 15.9 | – |
| 1981 | 8.2 | – |
| 1980 | 12 | – |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Botswana | Zimbabwe |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4.4 | 5 |
| 2027 | 2.2 | 3.5 |
| 2028 | 3 | 5 |
| 2029 | 3.9 | 4.2 |
| 2030 | 3.9 | 4.2 |
| 2031 | 4 | 4.2 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How much the economy grew or shrank in a year, after inflation.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 143 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 Zimbabwe
Health
- Life expectancyBotswana: 69.2 years in 2023Zimbabwe: 62.8 years in 2023
- Child mortalityBotswana: 3.3 per 100 live births in 2024Zimbabwe: 6.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityBotswana: 28.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023Zimbabwe: 33.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionBotswana: 3.97% in 2017Zimbabwe: 3.19% in 2017
- Suicide rateBotswana: 10 per 100,000 people in 2017Zimbabwe: 26.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationBotswana: 2.48 million people in 2023Zimbabwe: 16.3 million people in 2023
- Population growthBotswana: 1.64% a year in 2023Zimbabwe: 1.68% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateBotswana: 2.73 births per woman in 2023Zimbabwe: 3.72 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationBotswana: 68% in 2025Zimbabwe: 40.5% in 2025
- Median ageBotswana: 22.9 years in 2023Zimbabwe: 17.8 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overBotswana: 4% in 2023Zimbabwe: 3.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateBotswana: -2.6 per 1,000 people in 2023Zimbabwe: -6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingBotswana: 3.11% of GDP in 2025Zimbabwe: 0.56% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsBotswana: $595M in 2025Zimbabwe: $134M in 2025
- Military spending per personBotswana: $242 in 2025Zimbabwe: $10 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingBotswana: 8.9% of government spending in 2025Zimbabwe: 5.3% of government spending in 2005
- Armed forces personnelBotswana: 9,000 people in 2020Zimbabwe: 51,000 people in 2020
- National powerBotswana: 0.02% of world capability in 2022Zimbabwe: 0.08% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersBotswana: 0.92% of the labour force in 2020Zimbabwe: 0.88% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsBotswana: 11 million TIV in 2024Zimbabwe: 20 million TIV in 2023