Political civil liberties index in Botswana
Botswana: Political civil liberties index was 0.843 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.843
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
64th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.905
in 2007
All-time low
0.221
in 1915
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Political civil liberties index in Botswana, 1900–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, political civil liberties index in Botswana stood at 0.843.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, political civil liberties index in Botswana peaked at 0.905 in 2007 and was at its lowest, 0.221, in 1915.
Botswana ranks 64th of 176 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Political civil liberties index in Botswana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.223 | — |
| 1901 | 0.223 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.223 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.223 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.223 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.223 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.223 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.223 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.223 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.223 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.223 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.223 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.223 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.223 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.223 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.221 | -0.9% |
| 1916 | 0.221 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.221 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.221 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.221 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.221 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.221 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.221 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.221 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.221 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.221 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.221 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.221 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.221 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.221 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.221 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.221 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.221 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.223 | +0.9% |
| 1934 | 0.255 | +14.3% |
| 1935 | 0.255 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.255 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.255 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.255 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.256 | +0.4% |
| 1940 | 0.256 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.256 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.256 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.245 | -4.3% |
| 1944 | 0.245 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.245 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.253 | +3.3% |
| 1947 | 0.253 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.253 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.239 | -5.5% |
| 1950 | 0.239 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.239 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.239 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.239 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.239 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.239 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.239 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.227 | -5.0% |
| 1958 | 0.227 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.268 | +18.1% |
| 1960 | 0.336 | +25.4% |
| 1961 | 0.336 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.39 | +16.1% |
| 1963 | 0.39 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.39 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.39 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.862 | +121.0% |
| 1967 | 0.881 | +2.2% |
| 1968 | 0.881 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.881 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.881 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.881 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.881 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.881 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.881 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.881 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.886 | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 0.886 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.886 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.886 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.886 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.891 | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 0.891 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.891 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.891 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.891 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.891 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.891 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.891 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.891 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.895 | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 0.895 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.895 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.895 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.895 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.895 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.895 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.895 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.898 | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 0.898 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.898 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.898 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.898 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.898 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.904 | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 0.904 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.903 | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 0.905 | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 0.895 | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 0.9 | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 0.892 | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 0.891 | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 0.891 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.88 | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 0.877 | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 0.87 | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 0.87 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.853 | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 0.851 | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 0.852 | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 0.869 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 0.884 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 0.853 | -3.5% |
| 2023 | 0.843 | -1.2% |
| 2024 | 0.846 | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 0.843 | -0.4% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 0.843 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.709, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 0.843 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.5665, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.223 | 0.223 | 0.223 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.222 | 0.221 | 0.223 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.221 | 0.221 | 0.221 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.2417 | 0.221 | 0.256 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.2501 | 0.239 | 0.256 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.2395 | 0.227 | 0.268 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.5737 | 0.336 | 0.881 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.883 | 0.881 | 0.886 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.8905 | 0.886 | 0.891 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8956 | 0.895 | 0.898 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.9003 | 0.895 | 0.905 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8727 | 0.851 | 0.892 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8563 | 0.843 | 0.884 | 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 political civil liberties index in Botswana?
- Political civil liberties index in Botswana was 0.843 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest political civil liberties index recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 0.905 in 2007.
- What is the lowest political civil liberties index recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.221 in 1915.
- How does Botswana rank for political civil liberties index?
- Botswana ranks 64th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is political civil liberties index rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Political civil liberties 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).