Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Botswana
Botswana: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.4% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Botswana, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Botswana is 0.4%, measured in 2020.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 26.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Botswana peaked at 0.6% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 1985.
Botswana ranks 82nd of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Botswana, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 0.4% | — |
| 1989 | 0.5% | +32.5% |
| 1990 | 0.5% | -2.7% |
| 1991 | 0.5% | +13.5% |
| 1992 | 0.5% | -2.8% |
| 1993 | 0.5% | -2.8% |
| 1994 | 0.5% | -2.7% |
| 1995 | 0.6% | +18.3% |
| 1996 | 0.6% | -2.4% |
| 1997 | 0.5% | -2.3% |
| 1998 | 0.6% | +9.3% |
| 1999 | 0.6% | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 0.6% | -2.1% |
| 2001 | 0.6% | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 0.6% | +3.0% |
| 2003 | 0.6% | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 0.6% | -6.4% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | +8.0% |
| 2006 | 0.6% | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 0.6% | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 0.5% | -6.5% |
| 2010 | 0.5% | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 0.5% | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 0.5% | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 0.5% | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 0.5% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 0.4% | -15.5% |
| 2016 | 0.4% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 0.4% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 0.4% | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 0.4% | -1.4% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 0.4% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5%, 84% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 0.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1%, 2.9× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Botswana changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | +32.5% | 0.4% | 0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 2 |
| 1990s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More reference data data for Botswana
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0472 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0078 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1582 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0825 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.97 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0424 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Botswana?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Botswana was 0.4% in 2020, according to The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 0.6% in 1999.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 1985.
- How does Botswana rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Botswana ranks 82nd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Armed forces personnel as a share of total population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if their training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.