Country export capability

Botswana
export capability

A reported view of Botswana's export scale, destination network, sector breadth, trade history, and market-access context. Use the indicators together; no single measure describes export readiness on its own.

BWA2000-2024 coverage270 active partner marketsMacro trend resilient
Latest exports$4.9B2024 reported value
Latest imports$6.8B2024 reported value
Trade balance-$2.0BExports minus imports
Export growth-16.7%Latest year-on-year change
Active partners270Latest reported markets

Country export profile overview

Botswana export data in one research view

This profile brings together export performance, trade balance, destination markets, HS2 sectors, partner breadth, history, and market-access context for country export research.

Export scale and balance

Start with the latest reported trade position

In 2024, Botswana recorded $4.9B in exports and $6.8B in imports. The resulting -$2.0B trade balance gives the latest country-level position a clear context.

Exports changed -16.7% year on year and show a calculated -9.8% three-year CAGR. CAGR is an annualized comparison of reported values, not a forecast.

Markets and sectors

See where export value is concentrated

United Arab Emirates received $1.3B in reported exports, representing 26.6% of the latest country total. Precious stones and metals was the largest displayed HS2 export sector at $3.7B and 77.1% of exports.

The visible page highlights five leading destinations and five leading HS2 sectors, while the complete structured files retain every row supplied for this sample.

History and coverage

Read today's number against the long series

The country series covers 2000 through 2024, with 25 observed annual rows. That longer view helps separate a single-year movement from the broader export trend.

Partner counts, tariff context, concentration, exposure shares, and momentum are supporting indicators calculated from available trade observations. Missing values remain unavailable rather than estimated.

Economy and structure

The context around Botswana's export base

Macroeconomic and structural indicators add context to merchandise trade scale. They describe the country environment; they do not predict company performance or future exports.

GDP$19.4B2024 macro context
GDP per capita$7.7KCurrent-dollar GDP
Population2.5MReported population
Labor force1.2KReported labor force
Investment rate32.6%National investment rate
Savings rate32.5%National savings rate
Trade openness47.3%Exports + imports / GDP
Exports / GDP19.7%Merchandise exports / GDP
Secondary education93.6%Education context
Tertiary education5.2%Education context

Market signals

Where to look more closely next

Route-level risk and emerging-corridor signals for further research. These are calculated indicators, not forecasts.

Destination risk contextAll covered routes
Destination risk context for Botswana
DestinationAttentionAttention shareBelow peakApplied tariffPrimary reason
BelgiumBELCritical attention100%68.1%Not reportedTariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
South AfricaZAFCritical attention95.1%42.8%Not reportedBuyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
SingaporeSGPCritical attention100%81.9%Not reportedCurrent trade remains materially below historical peaks
China, Hong Kong Special Administrative RegionHKGCritical attention100%67.5%Not reportedCurrent trade remains materially below historical peaks
NamibiaNAMCritical attention93.4%87.5%Not reportedBuyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSAHigh attention12.3%34%Not reportedTariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
AustraliaAUSCritical attention98.2%74.7%Not reportedCurrent trade remains materially below historical peaks
IndiaINDHigh attention100%44.6%Not reportedTariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
World excl. Intra-EUWXDCritical attention100%52.6%Not reportedCurrent trade remains materially below historical peaks
CambodiaKHMCritical attention100%70.6%Not reportedCurrent trade remains materially below historical peaks

Full route coverage is retained. High attention means the route deserves closer product and access review.

Market opportunity signals

Product-market combinations worth investigating

All returned rows use buyer demand, exporter position, and calculated addressable-value fields. They are research signals, not forecasts.

Addressable-value signalsAll returned rows
Market opportunity signals for Botswana
RankMarket and productBuyer importsAddressable 3-year valueCurrent shareDemand signal
1ChinaHS6 260111 · Iron ores and concentrates: non-agglomerated$111.0B$119.1B0%Accelerating -2.6%
2USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsHS6 270900 · Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$165.0B$115.5B0%Accelerating +1.1%
3ChinaHS6 854231 · Electronic integrated circuits: processors and controllers, whether or not combined with memories, converters, logic circuits, amplifiers, clock and timing circuits, or other circuits$158.0B$93.1B0%Declining +10.5%
4IndiaHS6 270900 · Oils: petroleum oils and oils obtained from bituminous minerals, crude$130.1B$73.0B0%Declining -0.5%
5ChinaHS6 854232 · Electronic integrated circuits: memories$80.6B$65.7B0%Accelerating +20.6%
6ChinaHS6 854239 · Electronic integrated circuits: n.e.c. in heading no. 8542$81.8B$61.4B0%Declining +4%
7USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsHS6 851712 · Telephones for cellular networks or for other wireless networks$53.9B$53.8B0%Growing -8.8%
8USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsHS6 847150 · Digital processing units: other than those of subheadings 8471.41 or 8471.49, whether or not containing in the same housing one or two of the following types of unit: storage units, input units or output units$53.9B$45.6B0%Growing +60.2%

Addressable value is a calculated field. Validate product, buyer, tariff, and route conditions before commercial decisions.

Detailed export portfolioHS4 lines beneath the leading sectorsOpen the detailed four-digit export table for Botswana.
All HS4 export lines2024 ranking
Top HS4 export lines for Botswana
RankHS4Parent HS2 sectorExportsShareActive HS6
17102HS4 detail codePrecious stones and metals (71) ↗$3.7B76.6%5
22603HS4 detail codeOres, slag and ash (26) ↗$588.3M12.1%1
38544HS4 detail codeElectrical machinery (85) ↗$117.4M2.4%8
42836HS4 detail codeInorganic chemicals (28) ↗$57.1M1.2%7
50102HS4 detail codeLive animals (01) ↗$53.2M1.1%4
60202HS4 detail codeMeat and edible meat offal (02) ↗$36.6M0.8%3
72701HS4 detail codeMineral fuels (27) ↗$30.5M0.6%4
82501HS4 detail codeSalt, sulphur, earths and stone (25) ↗$19.7M0.4%1
93917HS4 detail codePlastics (39) ↗$17.7M0.4%10
108802HS4 detail codeAircraft (88) ↗$14.5M0.3%6
117108HS4 detail codePrecious stones and metals (71) ↗$13.0M0.3%3
126302HS4 detail codeOther made-up textile articles (63) ↗$11.1M0.2%15

HS4 values are reported observations. The hierarchy is preserved; no missing descriptions are inferred.

The country export read

Botswana combines $4.9B in exports with a broad partner network.

In 2024, Botswana recorded $4.9B in reported exports and $6.8B in imports, producing a reported trade deficit of $2.0B. Exports changed -16.7% year on year and -9.8% annualized over three years. Precious stones and metals (HS2 71) was the largest displayed export sector by value.

Destination network

Where Botswana exports move

All returned destination lanes ranked by latest reported export value. Share is calculated against the country total. Review sources ↗

Latest reported destination lanesAll returned · 2024
Leading export destinations for Botswana
RankDestinationLatest exportsShareYear-on-year3-year CAGR
1United Arab EmiratesARE$1.3B26.6%-20.1%-12.2%
2IndiaIND$834.9M17.2%-12.5%+3.4%
3BelgiumBEL$717.0M14.8%-29.1%-22.3%
4ChinaCHN$507.2M10.4%+21.2%+62.3%
5South AfricaZAF$495.7M10.2%-22.3%-9.5%
6USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$284.6M5.9%-21.1%+8.7%
7IsraelISR$174.1M3.6%+16.2%-24.9%
8SingaporeSGP$86.1M1.8%+1.1%-37.3%
9China, Hong Kong Special Administrative RegionHKG$75.1M1.5%-61.3%-29.5%
10NamibiaNAM$69.5M1.4%+62.9%-27.3%

Destination values are reported country-to-country observations. Full returned rows remain in the downloads.

Trade history

A long view of export scale

Latest twelve years from the 30-year reported country series. Context, not a forecast.

Reported exports by year

2013
$7.9B
2014
$8.2B
2015
$6.0B
2016
$7.7B
2017
$6.7B
2018
$6.4B
2019
$5.0B
2020
$4.1B
2021
$6.6B
2022
$7.8B
2023
$5.8B
2024
$4.9B

Partner network

Scale is only one part of export capability

Partner breadth, distance, agreements, and tariffs add context to reported exports.

FTA partner markets17Reported count
WTO partner markets169Reported count
EU partner markets28Reported count
Shared-border partners4Country context
Shared-language partners77Country context
Average partner distance8,376 kmCalculated average
Partners with FTA6.3%Calculated share
Applied tariff context0%Calculated average
MFN tariff context0%Calculated average
Tariff advantage+0 ppPreferential vs MFN

Exposure context

Signals to examine alongside export scale

Calculated or classified route and country context. Not predictions or recommendations.

Attention share69.8%

Covered value under attention

Critical share23.5%

Covered value marked critical

Below historical peak44.1%

Distance below route peaks

FTA-covered exports12.4%

Covered value with FTA context

Weighted tariff contextNot reported

Export-weighted tariff

Macro contextMacro trend resilient

Primary attention driver: Market access exposure.

Momentum score-14.7

History-based indicator

Partner concentration1,490.4

Partner HHI

Product concentration3,966.3

Product HHI

Country attention level: Critical attention. Missing fields remain unavailable.

Complete country valuesOpen the full profile evidenceFull history, sectors, HS4, destinations, risk, opportunities, and source fields.

Profile fields

Year2,024
Country Iso3BWA
Exports Usd$4.9B
Imports Usd$6.8B
Trade Balance Usd-$2.0B
Yoy Exports Growth Pct-16.7%
Yoy Imports Growth Pct6%
Exports Cagr 3y Pct-9.8%
Imports Cagr 3y Pct-2.3%
Export Partner Hhi1,490.4
Export Product Hhi3,966.3
Momentum Score-14.7
Risk Score27.3
Gdp Million Usd19,402.06 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Usd$7.7K
Population2,521,139
Labor Force1,232.2
Investment Rate Pct32.6%
Savings Rate Pct32.5%
Secondary Education Pct93.6%
Tertiary Education Pct5.2%
Total Factor Productivity727.7
Trade Openness Pct47.3%
Exports Gdp Pct19.7%
Num Active Partners270
Num Fta Partners17
Num Wto Partners169
Num Eu Partners28
Num Shared Border Partners4
Num Shared Language Partners77
Avg Partner Distance Km8,376 km
Avg Partner Gdp Million Usd533,678,518.33 million USD
Avg Partner Gdp Per Capita Usd$15.8
Avg Buyer Biz Entry DaysNot reported
Avg Buyer Biz Entry Cost PctNot reported
Pct Partners With Fta6
Pct Partners Shared Language29
Pct Partners Shared Border1
Avg Applied Tariff Pct0%
Avg Mfn Tariff Pct0%
Avg Preferential Tariff Pct0%
Tariff Advantage Pp+0 pp
Avg Distance All Partners Km8,464
Num Border Partners80
Num Colonial Partners20
Avg Substitution Elasticity-8.9
Pct Products High Elasticity70
Pct Products Low Elasticity4
Real Market Potential71,175.5
Foreign Market Potential39,591.5

Exposure fields

Country Iso3BWA
All History Lane Count1,024
Current Lane Count278
Critical Lane Count15
High Attention Lane Count49
High Volatility Lane Count185
Unrecovered Drawdown Lane Count162
Declining Demand Lane Count2
Concentrated Market Lane Count168
Access Friction Lane Count52
Buyer Macro Weakness Lane Count143
Monitored Exports Current Usd$4.7B
Attention Exports Usd$3.3B
Critical Exports Usd$1.1B
High Volatility Exports Usd$1.8B
Unrecovered Drawdown Exports Usd$1.5B
Non Fta Exports Usd$4.1B
Monitored Attention Share Pct69.8%
Monitored Critical Share Pct23.5%
Fta Covered Exports Share Pct12.4%
Export Weighted Volatility Cv1
Export Weighted Below Peak Pct44.1%
Export Weighted Distance Km7,603 km
Export Weighted Tariff PctNot reported
Latest Data Year2,024
First Data Year2,000
Country Years Count25
Total Exports Latest Usd$4.9B
Total Imports Latest Usd$6.8B
Trade Balance Latest Usd-$2.0B
Exports Yoy Latest Pct-16.7%
Exports Cagr 3y Latest Pct-9.8%
Gdp Latest Million Usd19,402.06 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Latest Usd$7.7K
Population Latest2,521,139
Investment Rate Latest Pct32.6%
Savings Rate Latest Pct32.5%
Trade Openness Latest Pct47.3%
Exports Gdp Latest Pct19.7%
Active Partners Latest270
Fta Partners Latest17
Foreign Market Potential Latest39,591.5
Gdp 5y Cagr Pct3%
Gdp Per Capita 5y Cagr Pct1.4%
Population 5y Cagr Pct1.6%
Partner Hhi Latest1,490.4
Partner Top1 Share Latest Pct26.6%
Partner Top3 Share Latest Pct58.5%
Partner Hhi All Avg3,072.1
Partner Hhi All Max7,432.3
Product Hhi Latest3,966.3
Product Top1 Share Latest Pct59.5%
Product Top3 Share Latest Pct88.2%
Product Hhi All Avg5,120.5
Product Hhi All Max7,185.7
Total Exports Attention Share Pct67.8%
Total Exports Critical Share Pct22.9%
Attention LevelCritical attention
Primary Risk DriverMarket access exposure
Macro Resilience LabelMacro trend resilient

Annual country history

YearExportsImportsTrade balanceExports YoYExports CAGR 3Y
2000$2.3B$1.2B$1.0BNot reportedNot reported
2001$2.2B$877.7M$1.3B-3.3%Not reported
2002$2.2B$835.5M$1.4B+2%Not reported
2003$2.9B$904.7M$2.0B+31.6%+9.1%
2004$3.3B$982.3M$2.3B+11.9%+14.5%
2005$4.3B$1.0B$3.3B+31%+24.5%
2006$4.1B$1.1B$3.0B-5.3%+11.6%
2007$3.7B$1.4B$2.3B-8.3%+4.4%
2008$3.2B$2.0B$1.3B-12.9%-8.9%
2009$2.6B$2.7B-$64.7M-20.1%-13.9%
2010$3.9B$6.0B-$2.1B+49.9%+1.4%
2011$5.7B$7.0B-$1.3B+45.9%+20.4%
2012$6.2B$9.0B-$2.8B+8.4%+33.3%
2013$7.9B$8.7B-$821.7M+28.3%+26.6%
2014$8.2B$8.4B-$182.9M+3.9%+13.1%
2015$6.0B$7.6B-$1.6B-26.9%-0.8%
2016$7.7B$5.9B$1.8B+28.8%-0.7%
2017$6.7B$5.6B$1.0B-13.7%-6.7%
2018$6.4B$6.2B$203.2M-4%+2.1%
2019$5.0B$6.3B-$1.3B-21.4%-13.3%
2020$4.1B$5.9B-$1.8B-19%-15.1%
2021$6.6B$7.3B-$698.4M+62.3%+1.1%
2022$7.8B$7.3B$486.4M+17.6%+15.6%
2023$5.8B$6.4B-$595.6M-24.9%+12.7%
2024$4.9B$6.8B-$2.0B-16.7%-9.8%

Top export sectors

RankHS2SectorExportsShareExport partnersActive HS6
171Precious stones and metals$3.7B77.1%6148
226Ores, slag and ash$589.7M12.1%1927
385Electrical machinery$128.6M2.6%82261
428Inorganic chemicals$57.3M1.2%10153
501Live animals$53.5M1.1%1420
602Meat and edible meat offal$37.9M0.8%2751
727Mineral fuels$33.1M0.7%2842
839Plastics$28.8M0.6%49128
925Salt, sulphur, earths and stone$20.1M0.4%2456
1072Iron and steel$16.7M0.3%23158

Detailed HS4 export lines

RankHS4Parent HS2ExportsShareActive HS6
17102Precious stones and metals (71)$3.7B76.6%5
22603Ores, slag and ash (26)$588.3M12.1%1
38544Electrical machinery (85)$117.4M2.4%8
42836Inorganic chemicals (28)$57.1M1.2%7
50102Live animals (01)$53.2M1.1%4
60202Meat and edible meat offal (02)$36.6M0.8%3
72701Mineral fuels (27)$30.5M0.6%4
82501Salt, sulphur, earths and stone (25)$19.7M0.4%1
93917Plastics (39)$17.7M0.4%10
108802Aircraft (88)$14.5M0.3%6
117108Precious stones and metals (71)$13.0M0.3%3
126302Other made-up textile articles (63)$11.1M0.2%15

Top export destinations

RankDestinationISO3ExportsShareYoYCAGR 3Y
1United Arab EmiratesARE$1.3B26.6%-20.1%-12.2%
2IndiaIND$834.9M17.2%-12.5%+3.4%
3BelgiumBEL$717.0M14.8%-29.1%-22.3%
4ChinaCHN$507.2M10.4%+21.2%+62.3%
5South AfricaZAF$495.7M10.2%-22.3%-9.5%
6USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$284.6M5.9%-21.1%+8.7%
7IsraelISR$174.1M3.6%+16.2%-24.9%
8SingaporeSGP$86.1M1.8%+1.1%-37.3%
9China, Hong Kong Special Administrative RegionHKG$75.1M1.5%-61.3%-29.5%
10NamibiaNAM$69.5M1.4%+62.9%-27.3%

Destination risk context

RankDestinationAttentionAttention shareBelow peakApplied tariffPrimary reason
1Belgium (BEL)Critical attention100%68.1%Not reportedTariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
2South Africa (ZAF)Critical attention95.1%42.8%Not reportedBuyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
3Singapore (SGP)Critical attention100%81.9%Not reportedCurrent trade remains materially below historical peaks
4China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKG)Critical attention100%67.5%Not reportedCurrent trade remains materially below historical peaks
5Namibia (NAM)Critical attention93.4%87.5%Not reportedBuyer-market concentration is the largest observed corridor exposure
6USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)High attention12.3%34%Not reportedTariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
7Australia (AUS)Critical attention98.2%74.7%Not reportedCurrent trade remains materially below historical peaks
8India (IND)High attention100%44.6%Not reportedTariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
9World excl. Intra-EU (WXD)Critical attention100%52.6%Not reportedCurrent trade remains materially below historical peaks
10Cambodia (KHM)Critical attention100%70.6%Not reportedCurrent trade remains materially below historical peaks

Emerging corridor signals

RankDestinationHS6SignalMarket importsCurrent shareStrength
1Spain (ESP)080540new$5.5M3%100
2Czechia (CZE)902212new$17.6M2.8%100
3Israel (ISR)271019new$815.3M0%100
4Canada (CAN)710420new$3.7M4.2%100
5Lesotho (LSO)730729new$428.5K84.5%100
6Germany (DEU)080540new$72.0M0.2%100
7Lithuania (LTU)854231new$120.9M0.1%100
8Angola (AGO)940690new$33.1M3.5%100
9Lesotho (LSO)730791new$933.1K87.2%100
10United Arab Emirates (ARE)080521new$44.2M0.5%100

Market opportunity signals

RankMarketHS6Buyer importsAddressable 3-year valueCurrent shareSignal
1China (CHN)260111$111.0B$119.1B0%Accelerating (-2.6%)
2USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)270900$165.0B$115.5B0%Accelerating (+1.1%)
3China (CHN)854231$158.0B$93.1B0%Declining (+10.5%)
4India (IND)270900$130.1B$73.0B0%Declining (-0.5%)
5China (CHN)854232$80.6B$65.7B0%Accelerating (+20.6%)
6China (CHN)854239$81.8B$61.4B0%Declining (+4%)
7USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)851712$53.9B$53.8B0%Growing (-8.8%)
8USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands (USA)847150$53.9B$45.6B0%Growing (+60.2%)

How to read this page

Separate reported scale from calculated context.

Reported exports, imports, trade balance, sector rows, destination rows, and annual history describe merchandise trade observations for the stated country and year.

CAGR, shares, concentration measures, tariff context, exposure shares, and momentum are calculated indicators built from the available observations. They help organize research but are not additional reported trade or forecasts.

Coverage runs from 2000 through 2024 for this profile. Missing values are shown as Not reported. Read the full methodology ↗

Reported observations

OECD BIMTS merchandise trade values are the primary series for this view.

Calculated indicators

Growth, share, HHI, tariff, and exposure fields are derived from available reported values.

Coverage limits

Unavailable values remain unavailable. No company sales, shipment records, or forecasts are implied.

Questions about this profile

Botswana export capability, in context

Short answers for readers comparing country export scale, partner breadth, and calculated trade indicators.

What does the Botswana export profile measure?

It combines reported exports, imports, history, destinations, HS2 sectors, partner context, and calculated indicators for Botswana.

What is the latest reported export value for Botswana?

Botswana recorded $4.9B in reported exports in 2024.

Which markets receive the most exports from Botswana?

United Arab Emirates leads by reported export value at $1.3B in 2024. Five destination lanes are highlighted.

Which sectors lead Botswana's exports?

Precious stones and metals leads by reported value at $3.7B. Five HS2 chapters are highlighted.

How many years of Botswana trade history are available?

This sample contains 25 observed annual rows covering 2000 through 2024. Missing observations are not estimated.

Are the growth and exposure values forecasts?

No. They are calculated or classified from reported observations, not forecasts or market-access guarantees.

Continue your research

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Data source

OECD trade statistics with CEPII context

OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-28). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.