Civil Liberties Score in Botswana
Botswana: Civil Liberties Score was 44 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Civil Liberties Score in Botswana, 2003–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Botswana recorded 44 for civil liberties score in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 23 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, civil liberties score in Botswana peaked at 48 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 44, in 2016.
Botswana ranks 77th of 197 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 23 years of available data.
Civil Liberties Score in Botswana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 48 | — |
| 2004 | 48 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 47 | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 47 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 48 | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 48 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 46 | -4.2% |
| 2010 | 46 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 46 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 46 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 46 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 45 | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 45 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 44 | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 44 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 44 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 44 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 44 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 44 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 44 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 44 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 44 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 44 | +0.0% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 44 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 36, 1.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 44 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 24, 1.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 47.43 | 46 | 48 | 7 |
| 2010s | 45 | 44 | 46 | 10 |
| 2020s | 44 | 44 | 44 | 6 |
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 civil liberties score in Botswana?
- Civil liberties score in Botswana was 44 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest civil liberties score recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 48 in 2003.
- What is the lowest civil liberties score recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 44 in 2016.
- How does Botswana rank for civil liberties score?
- Botswana ranks 77th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is civil liberties score rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Civil Liberties Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The variable identifies the fine-grained extent of freedom of expression and association, the rule of law, and personal autonomy. Higher scores indicate more liberties.