Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Botswana

Botswana: Military expenditure as a share of government spending was 8.94 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
8.94
Change on year
up 12.5%
World rank
43rd
of 162 countries
All-time high
10.33
in 1991
All-time low
5.56
in 2023
Years of data
38
1988–2025

Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Botswana, 1988–2025

02.557.5101988200620251988: 9.91989: 9.51990: 10.21991: 10.31992: 9.91993: 10.11994: 10.21995: 9.11996: 7.71997: 81998: 8.61999: 7.52000: 8.22001: 92002: 92003: 9.22004: 8.52005: 8.22006: 8.12007: 7.62008: 6.52009: 62010: 6.22011: 6.42012: 6.12013: 6.22014: 6.12015: 7.12016: 102017: 9.32018: 8.12019: 8.52020: 8.72021: 8.72022: 8.62023: 5.62024: 7.92025: 8.9

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for military expenditure as a share of government spending in Botswana is 8.94, measured in 2025.

That represents a change of up 12.5% on the previous year and up 25.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military expenditure as a share of government spending in Botswana peaked at 10.33 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 5.56, in 2023.

That places Botswana 43rd out of 162 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 38 years of available data.

Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Botswana, year by year

Annual values for Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Botswana, 1988 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1988 9.94
1989 9.51 -4.3%
1990 10.18 +7.1%
1991 10.33 +1.4%
1992 9.9 -4.2%
1993 10.11 +2.2%
1994 10.23 +1.1%
1995 9.06 -11.4%
1996 7.73 -14.7%
1997 8.01 +3.7%
1998 8.56 +6.8%
1999 7.52 -12.1%
2000 8.17 +8.6%
2001 8.99 +10.0%
2002 9 +0.2%
2003 9.15 +1.7%
2004 8.48 -7.4%
2005 8.23 -3.0%
2006 8.07 -1.9%
2007 7.58 -6.1%
2008 6.46 -14.8%
2009 5.98 -7.3%
2010 6.17 +3.1%
2011 6.43 +4.2%
2012 6.11 -4.8%
2013 6.17 +0.9%
2014 6.15 -0.3%
2015 7.14 +16.2%
2016 9.96 +39.5%
2017 9.27 -7.0%
2018 8.15 -12.1%
2019 8.46 +3.8%
2020 8.66 +2.4%
2021 8.66 -0.1%
2022 8.55 -1.2%
2023 5.56 -35.0%
2024 7.94 +42.9%
2025 8.94 +12.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 9.72 9.51 9.94 2
1990s 9.16 7.52 10.33 10
2000s 8.01 5.98 9.15 10
2010s 7.4 6.11 9.96 10
2020s 8.05 5.56 8.94 6

Countries ranked near Botswana

  1. 40 Djibouti 9.11 compare
  2. 41 Poland 9.02 compare
  3. 42 Uganda 9.02 compare
  4. 44 United States of America 8.25 compare
  5. 45 India 8.18 compare
  6. 46 Latvia 8.18 compare

See the full ranking of 162 places →

More reference data data for Botswana

All data for Botswana →

Frequently asked questions

What is military expenditure as a share of government spending in Botswana?
Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Botswana was 8.94 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest military expenditure as a share of government spending recorded in Botswana?
The highest recorded value was 10.33 in 1991.
What is the lowest military expenditure as a share of government spending recorded in Botswana?
The lowest recorded value was 5.56 in 2023.
How does Botswana rank for military expenditure as a share of government spending?
Botswana ranks 43rd out of 162 countries with data for 2025.
Is military expenditure as a share of government spending rising or falling in Botswana?
Over the last ten years it is up 25.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Botswana data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Military expenditure as a share of government spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 38 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Botswana. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/military-expenditure-as-a-share-of-government-spending/botswana/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/military-expenditure-as-a-share-of-government-spending/botswana/">Military expenditure as a share of government spending in Botswana</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Military expenditure as a share of government spending
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
162 places, 4,946 data points, 1988–2025
Last refreshed