Combined polity score in Botswana
Botswana: Combined polity score was 8 in 2011. ▲ Rising
Combined polity score in Botswana, 1966–2011
Source: Center for Systemic Peace, www.systemicpeace.org/polity/polity4.htm.
Analysis
The most recent figure for combined polity score in Botswana is 8, measured in 2011. That is the highest value across all 46 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, combined polity score in Botswana peaked at 8 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 6, in 1966.
That places Botswana 5th out of 51 countries with data for 2011, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| 1970s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.3 | 6 | 7 | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.3 | 7 | 8 | 10 |
| 2000s | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| 2010s | 8 | 8 | 8 | 2 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More reference data data for Botswana
- Spring temperature anomalies -1.39 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8179 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -0.391 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.76 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies -1.55 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 202.64 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is combined polity score in Botswana?
- Combined polity score in Botswana was 8 in 2011, according to Center for Systemic Peace, www.systemicpeace.org/polity/polity4.htm.
- What is the highest combined polity score recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 8 in 1997.
- What is the lowest combined polity score recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 in 1966.
- How does Botswana rank for combined polity score?
- Botswana ranks 5th out of 51 countries with data for 2011.
- Is combined polity score rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from Center for Systemic Peace, www.systemicpeace.org/polity/polity4.htm, published as part of Combined polity score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The Combined Polity score is computed by subtracting the AUTOCRACY score (UPP.INS.AUTO.XQ) from the DEMOCRACY score (UPP.INS.DEMO.XQ); the resulting unified polity scale ranges from +10 (strongly democratic) to -10 (strongly autocratic). Note: The POLITY score was added to the Polity IV data series in recognition of its common usage by users in quantitative research and in the overriding interest of maintaining uniformity among users in this application. The simple combination of the original DEMOC and AUTOC index values in a unitary POLITY scale, in many ways, runs contrary to the original theory stated by Eckstein and Gurr in Patterns of Authority Polity IV Project: Dataset Users’ Manual 17 (1975) and, so, should be treated and interpreted with due caution. Its primary utility is in investigative research which should be augmented by more detailed analysis. The original theory posits that autocratic and democratic authority are distinct patterns of authority, elements of which may co-exist in any particular regime context. The inclusion of this variable in the data series should not be seen as an acceptance of the counter-proposal that autocracy and democracy are alternatives or opposites in a unified authority spectrum, even though elements of this perspective may be implied in the original theory. The POLITY variable provides a convenient avenue for examining general regime effects in analyses but researchers should note that the middle of the implied POLITY “spectrum” is somewhat muddled in terms of the original theory, masking various combinations of DEMOC and AUTOC scores with the same POLITY score. Investigations involving hypotheses of varying effects of democracy and/or autocracy should employ the original Polity scheme and test DEMOC and AUTOC separately.