Free and Fair Elections Index in Botswana
Botswana: Free and Fair Elections Index was 0.803 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Free and Fair Elections Index in Botswana, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, free and fair elections index in Botswana stood at 0.803.
The figure is up 30.4% on the previous year and down 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, free and fair elections index in Botswana peaked at 0.864 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.
That places Botswana 57th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Free and Fair Elections Index in Botswana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0 | — |
| 1901 | 0 | — |
| 1902 | 0 | — |
| 1903 | 0 | — |
| 1904 | 0 | — |
| 1905 | 0 | — |
| 1906 | 0 | — |
| 1907 | 0 | — |
| 1908 | 0 | — |
| 1909 | 0 | — |
| 1910 | 0 | — |
| 1911 | 0 | — |
| 1912 | 0 | — |
| 1913 | 0 | — |
| 1914 | 0 | — |
| 1915 | 0 | — |
| 1916 | 0 | — |
| 1917 | 0 | — |
| 1918 | 0 | — |
| 1919 | 0 | — |
| 1920 | 0 | — |
| 1921 | 0 | — |
| 1922 | 0 | — |
| 1923 | 0 | — |
| 1924 | 0 | — |
| 1925 | 0 | — |
| 1926 | 0 | — |
| 1927 | 0 | — |
| 1928 | 0 | — |
| 1929 | 0 | — |
| 1930 | 0 | — |
| 1931 | 0 | — |
| 1932 | 0 | — |
| 1933 | 0 | — |
| 1934 | 0 | — |
| 1935 | 0 | — |
| 1936 | 0 | — |
| 1937 | 0 | — |
| 1938 | 0 | — |
| 1939 | 0 | — |
| 1940 | 0 | — |
| 1941 | 0 | — |
| 1942 | 0 | — |
| 1943 | 0 | — |
| 1944 | 0 | — |
| 1945 | 0 | — |
| 1946 | 0 | — |
| 1947 | 0 | — |
| 1948 | 0 | — |
| 1949 | 0 | — |
| 1950 | 0 | — |
| 1951 | 0 | — |
| 1952 | 0 | — |
| 1953 | 0 | — |
| 1954 | 0 | — |
| 1955 | 0 | — |
| 1956 | 0 | — |
| 1957 | 0 | — |
| 1958 | 0 | — |
| 1959 | 0 | — |
| 1960 | 0 | — |
| 1961 | 0.331 | — |
| 1962 | 0.493 | +48.9% |
| 1963 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.493 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.644 | +30.6% |
| 1966 | 0.696 | +8.1% |
| 1967 | 0.696 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.696 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.709 | +1.9% |
| 1970 | 0.761 | +7.3% |
| 1971 | 0.761 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.761 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.761 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.761 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.76 | -0.1% |
| 1976 | 0.76 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.76 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.76 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.761 | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 0.763 | +0.3% |
| 1981 | 0.763 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.763 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.763 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.757 | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 0.764 | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 0.764 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.764 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.764 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.769 | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 0.811 | +5.5% |
| 1991 | 0.811 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.811 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.811 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.813 | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 0.82 | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 0.82 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.852 | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 0.852 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.854 | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 0.855 | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 0.855 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.855 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.855 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.862 | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 0.86 | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 0.859 | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 0.859 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.86 | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 0.857 | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 0.864 | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 0.864 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.864 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.862 | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 0.857 | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 0.835 | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 0.825 | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 0.818 | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 0.799 | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 0.77 | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 0.619 | -19.6% |
| 2021 | 0.578 | -6.6% |
| 2022 | 0.578 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.556 | -3.8% |
| 2024 | 0.616 | +10.8% |
| 2025 | 0.803 | +30.4% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 0.803 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5655, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 0.803 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.2905, 2.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Free and Fair Elections Index 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | +48.9% | 0.331 | 0.493 |
| 1965 | +30.6% | 0.493 | 0.644 |
| 2025 | +30.4% | 0.616 | 0.803 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.5251 | 0 | 0.709 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.7606 | 0.76 | 0.761 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.7634 | 0.757 | 0.769 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8255 | 0.811 | 0.854 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8577 | 0.855 | 0.862 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8358 | 0.77 | 0.864 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.625 | 0.556 | 0.803 | 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 free and fair elections index in Botswana?
- Free and fair elections index in Botswana was 0.803 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest free and fair elections index recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 0.864 in 2010.
- What is the lowest free and fair elections index recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
- How does Botswana rank for free and fair elections index?
- Botswana ranks 57th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is free and fair elections index rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Free and Fair Elections Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which registration fraud, systematic irregularities, government intimidation of the opposition, vote buying, and election violence are absent, and the election management body is autonomous and has enough staff and resources.