Share of land area that is protected in Botswana
Botswana: Share of land area that is protected was 27.6% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Share of land area that is protected in Botswana, 2013–2025
Source: Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total land area.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of land area that is protected in Botswana is 27.6%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.2% on the previous year and down 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area that is protected in Botswana peaked at 29.1% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 27.6%, in 2025.
Botswana ranks 49th of 213 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Share of land area that is protected in Botswana, year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 29.1% | — |
| 2014 | 29.1% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 29.1% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 29.1% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 29.1% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 29.1% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 29.1% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 29.1% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 29.1% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 29.1% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 29.1% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 29.1% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 27.6% | -5.2% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 27.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 15.6%, 1.8× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 27.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.9%, 1.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 29.1% | 29.1% | 29.1% | 7 |
| 2020s | 28.9% | 27.6% | 29.1% | 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 share of land area that is protected in Botswana?
- Share of land area that is protected in Botswana was 27.6% in 2025, according to Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of land area that is protected recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 29.1% in 2013.
- What is the lowest share of land area that is protected recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.6% in 2025.
- How does Botswana rank for share of land area that is protected?
- Botswana ranks 49th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of land area that is protected rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land area that is protected. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Terrestrial protected areas are areas of at least 1,000 hectares that are designated by national authorities in order to preserve their ecosystem services and cultural values.