Democracy in Botswana
Botswana: Democracy was 6 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Democracy in Botswana, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for democracy in Botswana is 6, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 33.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy in Botswana peaked at 9 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.
That places Botswana 42nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
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 | 2.7 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| 1970s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| 1980s | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.1 | 7 | 8 | 10 |
| 2000s | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.33 | 5 | 8 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
- 42 Argentina 6 compare
- 42 Armenia 6 compare
- 42 Bolivia 6 compare
- 42 Bulgaria 6 compare
- 42 Cape Verde 6 compare
- 42 Colombia 6 compare
- 42 Croatia 6 compare
- 42 Dominican Republic 6 compare
- 42 East Timor 6 compare
- 42 Ecuador 6 compare
- 42 Ghana 6 compare
- 42 Greece 6 compare
- 42 Guatemala 6 compare
- 42 Jamaica 6 compare
- 42 Lesotho 6 compare
- 42 Liberia 6 compare
- 42 Nepal 6 compare
- 42 Panama 6 compare
- 42 Paraguay 6 compare
- 42 Peru 6 compare
- 42 Poland 6 compare
- 42 Portugal 6 compare
- 42 Romania 6 compare
- 42 Sao Tome and Principe 6 compare
- 42 Senegal 6 compare
- 42 Slovakia 6 compare
- 42 Slovenia 6 compare
- 42 Solomon Islands 6 compare
- 42 South Africa 6 compare
- 42 Sri Lanka 6 compare
- 42 Suriname 6 compare
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 democracy in Botswana?
- Democracy in Botswana was 6 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 9 in 2010.
- What is the lowest democracy recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
- How does Botswana rank for democracy?
- Botswana ranks 42nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is democracy rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.3%. 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 Democracy. 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
Political regime of a country using the Regimes of the World classification by political scientists Anna Lührmann, Marcus Tannenberg and Staffan Lindberg, including ambiguous categories.