Age of full democracy in Botswana
Botswana: Age of full democracy was 25 years in 2012. ◆ Volatile
Age of full democracy in Botswana, 1988–2012
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age of full democracy in Botswana is 25 years, measured in 2012. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.2% on the previous year and up 66.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of full democracy in Botswana peaked at 25 years in 2012 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 1988.
Botswana ranks 69th of 89 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of full democracy in Botswana, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 1 years | — |
| 1989 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 1990 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 1991 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 1992 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 1993 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 1994 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 1995 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 1996 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 1997 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 1998 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 1999 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 2000 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 2001 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 2002 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 2003 | 16 years | +6.7% |
| 2004 | 17 years | +6.2% |
| 2005 | 18 years | +5.9% |
| 2006 | 19 years | +5.6% |
| 2007 | 20 years | +5.3% |
| 2008 | 21 years | +5.0% |
| 2009 | 22 years | +4.8% |
| 2010 | 23 years | +4.5% |
| 2011 | 24 years | +4.3% |
| 2012 | 25 years | +4.2% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 25 years is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 34.5 years, 72% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 25 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 24 years, 1.0× the median. (10 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of full democracy 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | +100.0% | 1 years | 2 years |
| 1990 | +50.0% | 2 years | 3 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.5 years | 1 years | 2 years | 2 |
| 1990s | 7.5 years | 3 years | 12 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 17.5 years | 13 years | 22 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 24 years | 23 years | 25 years | 3 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More social development data for Botswana
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 847 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 384 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 384 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0003 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age of full democracy in Botswana?
- Age of full democracy in Botswana was 25 years in 2012, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of full democracy recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 25 years in 2012.
- What is the lowest age of full democracy recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 1988.
- How does Botswana rank for age of full democracy?
- Botswana ranks 69th out of 89 countries with data for 2012.
- Is age of full democracy rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 66.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Age of full democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in a full democracy.