Freedom in Botswana
Where Botswana sits on every statistic this site carries, each against the countries the same source covers. Botswana has a figure for 52 of 60 indicators.
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | 0.798 | 2025 | 60 of 163 |
| Freedom of association | 0.850 | 2025 | 51 of 163 |
| Civil liberties | 0.845 | 2025 | 53 of 163 |
| Freedom from political violence | 0.873 | 2025 | 54 of 163 |
| Equal protection of rights | 0.662 | 2025 | 76 of 163 |
| Academic freedom | 0.834 | 2025 | 39 of 163 |
| Media censorship effort | 1.825 | 2025 | 32 of 163 |
| Harassment of journalists | 0.409 | 2025 | 88 of 163 |
| Media self-censorship | 0.809 | 2025 | 65 of 163 |
| Universal right to vote | 1.000 | 2025 | 19 of 167 |
| Legal rights for women | 63.8 | 2023 | 131 of 164 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | 0.000 | 2023 | 144 of 164 |
| Access to justice for women | 0.000 | 2025 | 57 of 163 |
| Access to justice for men | 1.000 | 2025 | 8 of 163 |
| Civil liberties score | 44.0 | 2025 | 54 of 167 |
| Political rights score | 31.0 | 2025 | 53 of 167 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade openness | 69.5% | 2025 | 70 of 125 |
| Government spending as a share of GDP | 23.9% | 2023 | 33 of 79 |
| Regulatory quality | 61.2 | 2024 | 47 of 169 |
| GDP per capita | $17.7K | 2025 | 74 of 157 |
| GDP growth | -0.7% | 2025 | — |
| Inflation | 2.7% | 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 24.5% | 2025 | 160 of 163 |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | 57.5% | 2024 | 113 of 154 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | 7.4 | 2024 | 89 of 134 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 164.0 | 2024 | 12 of 134 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | 0.665 | 2025 | 54 of 163 |
| Liberal democracy | 0.520 | 2025 | 54 of 163 |
| Rule of law | 0.822 | 2025 | 41 of 163 |
| Judicial checks on government | 0.748 | 2025 | 64 of 163 |
| Legislative checks on government | 0.706 | 2025 | 63 of 157 |
| Political corruption | 0.204 | 2025 | 39 of 163 |
| Civil society participation | 0.856 | 2025 | 34 of 163 |
| Women’s political empowerment | 0.699 | 2025 | 102 of 163 |
| Voice and accountability | 62.0 | 2024 | 55 of 170 |
| Control of corruption | 60.6 | 2024 | 40 of 170 |
| Government effectiveness | 59.4 | 2024 | 50 of 169 |
| Political stability | 83.5 | 2024 | 12 of 170 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | 0.731 | 2023 | 91 of 165 |
| Life expectancy | 69.3 | 2024 | 117 of 170 |
| Health spending | 6.3% | 2023 | — |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | 4.3% | 2023 | 3 of 164 |
| Maternal mortality | 155.0 | 2023 | 123 of 167 |
| Women in parliament | 9.0% | 2025 | 143 of 156 |
| Women in the workforce | 63.7% | 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 2.70 | 2024 | — |
| Urban population | 68.0% | 2025 | — |
| Refugees who left | 9.9 | 2024 | 67 of 168 |
| Population | 2.6M | 2025 | — |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | 2.74 | 2024 | 84 of 165 |
| Renewable energy use | 27.4% | 2021 | 82 of 169 |
| Access to electricity | 80.2% | 2024 | 126 of 169 |
What is missing
8 of the 60 statistics here have no figure for Botswana in the year they were last ranked. Coverage differs by source: an indicator missing here is one its producer does not publish for Botswana, not a zero. Who publishes what