Botswana vs Zimbabwe
Botswana vs Zimbabwe: Military share of state spending
Military share of state spending: 8.9% of government spending in Botswana in 2025 and 5.3% of government spending in Zimbabwe in 2005, by SIPRI estimates. In 2005 the value was higher in Botswana, by 3 percentage points, or 1.56 times that in Zimbabwe.
% of government spending · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Botswana has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2005.
Every year
% of government spending · SIPRI
| Year | Botswana | Zimbabwe |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8.9 | – |
| 2024 | 7.9 | – |
| 2023 | 5.6 | – |
| 2022 | 8.6 | – |
| 2021 | 8.7 | – |
| 2020 | 8.7 | – |
| 2019 | 8.5 | – |
| 2018 | 8.1 | – |
| 2017 | 9.3 | – |
| 2016 | 10 | – |
| 2015 | 7.1 | – |
| 2014 | 6.1 | – |
| 2013 | 6.2 | – |
| 2012 | 6.1 | – |
| 2011 | 6.4 | – |
| 2010 | 6.2 | – |
| 2009 | 6 | – |
| 2008 | 6.5 | – |
| 2007 | 7.6 | – |
| 2006 | 8.1 | – |
| 2005 | 8.2 | 5.3 |
| 2004 | 8.5 | – |
| 2003 | 9.2 | – |
| 2002 | 9 | – |
| 2001 | 9 | – |
| 2000 | 8.2 | – |
| 1999 | 7.5 | – |
| 1998 | 8.6 | – |
| 1997 | 8 | – |
| 1996 | 7.7 | – |
| 1995 | 9.1 | – |
| 1994 | 10.2 | – |
| 1993 | 10.1 | – |
| 1992 | 9.9 | – |
| 1991 | 10.3 | – |
| 1990 | 10.2 | – |
| 1989 | 9.5 | – |
| 1988 | 9.9 | – |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The part of everything the government spends that goes on its armed forces and defence, 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 150 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
- 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