Full democracy in Botswana
Botswana: Full democracy was 0 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0
World rank
78th
of 198 countries
All-time high
1
in 1988
All-time low
0
in 1885
Years of data
141
1885–2025
Full democracy in Botswana, 1885–2025
Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, full democracy in Botswana stood at 0. That is the lowest value across all 141 years on record.
Over the whole period, full democracy in Botswana peaked at 1 in 1988 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1885.
That places Botswana 78th out of 198 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Full democracy in Botswana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1885 | 0 | — |
| 1886 | 0 | — |
| 1887 | 0 | — |
| 1888 | 0 | — |
| 1889 | 0 | — |
| 1890 | 0 | — |
| 1891 | 0 | — |
| 1892 | 0 | — |
| 1893 | 0 | — |
| 1894 | 0 | — |
| 1895 | 0 | — |
| 1896 | 0 | — |
| 1897 | 0 | — |
| 1898 | 0 | — |
| 1899 | 0 | — |
| 1900 | 0 | — |
| 1901 | 0 | — |
| 1902 | 0 | — |
| 1903 | 0 | — |
| 1904 | 0 | — |
| 1905 | 0 | — |
| 1906 | 0 | — |
| 1907 | 0 | — |
| 1908 | 0 | — |
| 1909 | 0 | — |
| 1910 | 0 | — |
| 1911 | 0 | — |
| 1912 | 0 | — |
| 1913 | 0 | — |
| 1914 | 0 | — |
| 1915 | 0 | — |
| 1916 | 0 | — |
| 1917 | 0 | — |
| 1918 | 0 | — |
| 1919 | 0 | — |
| 1920 | 0 | — |
| 1921 | 0 | — |
| 1922 | 0 | — |
| 1923 | 0 | — |
| 1924 | 0 | — |
| 1925 | 0 | — |
| 1926 | 0 | — |
| 1927 | 0 | — |
| 1928 | 0 | — |
| 1929 | 0 | — |
| 1930 | 0 | — |
| 1931 | 0 | — |
| 1932 | 0 | — |
| 1933 | 0 | — |
| 1934 | 0 | — |
| 1935 | 0 | — |
| 1936 | 0 | — |
| 1937 | 0 | — |
| 1938 | 0 | — |
| 1939 | 0 | — |
| 1940 | 0 | — |
| 1941 | 0 | — |
| 1942 | 0 | — |
| 1943 | 0 | — |
| 1944 | 0 | — |
| 1945 | 0 | — |
| 1946 | 0 | — |
| 1947 | 0 | — |
| 1948 | 0 | — |
| 1949 | 0 | — |
| 1950 | 0 | — |
| 1951 | 0 | — |
| 1952 | 0 | — |
| 1953 | 0 | — |
| 1954 | 0 | — |
| 1955 | 0 | — |
| 1956 | 0 | — |
| 1957 | 0 | — |
| 1958 | 0 | — |
| 1959 | 0 | — |
| 1960 | 0 | — |
| 1961 | 0 | — |
| 1962 | 0 | — |
| 1963 | 0 | — |
| 1964 | 0 | — |
| 1965 | 0 | — |
| 1966 | 0 | — |
| 1967 | 0 | — |
| 1968 | 0 | — |
| 1969 | 0 | — |
| 1970 | 0 | — |
| 1971 | 0 | — |
| 1972 | 0 | — |
| 1973 | 0 | — |
| 1974 | 0 | — |
| 1975 | 0 | — |
| 1976 | 0 | — |
| 1977 | 0 | — |
| 1978 | 0 | — |
| 1979 | 0 | — |
| 1980 | 0 | — |
| 1981 | 0 | — |
| 1982 | 0 | — |
| 1983 | 0 | — |
| 1984 | 0 | — |
| 1985 | 0 | — |
| 1986 | 0 | — |
| 1987 | 0 | — |
| 1988 | 1 | — |
| 1989 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 2014 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 0 | — |
| 2016 | 0 | — |
| 2017 | 0 | — |
| 2018 | 0 | — |
| 2019 | 0 | — |
| 2020 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 0 | — |
| 2022 | 0 | — |
| 2023 | 0 | — |
| 2024 | 0 | — |
| 2025 | 0 | — |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 1890s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 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 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
- 78 Afghanistan 0
- 78 Albania 0
- 78 Algeria 0
- 78 Angola 0
- 78 Armenia 0
- 78 Azerbaijan 0
- 78 Bahrain 0
- 78 Bangladesh 0
- 78 Belarus 0
- 78 Benin 0 compare
- 78 Bhutan 0
- 78 Bolivia 0 compare
- 78 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0
- 78 Brunei 0
- 78 Burkina Faso 0
- 78 Burundi 0
- 78 Cambodia 0
- 78 Cameroon 0
- 78 Central African Republic 0
- 78 Chad 0
- 78 China 0
- 78 Colombia 0
- 78 Comoros 0
- 78 Congo 0
- 78 Cote d'Ivoire 0
- 78 Cuba 0
- 78 Democratic Republic of Congo 0
- 78 Djibouti 0
- 78 East Timor 0
- 78 Ecuador 0
- 78 Egypt 0
- 78 El Salvador 0 compare
- 78 Equatorial Guinea 0
- 78 Eritrea 0
- 78 Eswatini 0
- 78 Ethiopia 0
- 78 Gabon 0
- 78 Gambia 0
- 78 Georgia 0
- 78 Guatemala 0
- 78 Guinea 0
- 78 Guinea-Bissau 0
- 78 Haiti 0
- 78 Honduras 0 compare
- 78 Hungary 0 compare
- 78 India 0 compare
- 78 Indonesia 0
- 78 Iran 0
- 78 Iraq 0
- 78 Israel 0
- 78 Jordan 0
- 78 Kazakhstan 0
- 78 Kenya 0
- 78 Kuwait 0
- 78 Kyrgyzstan 0
- 78 Laos 0
- 78 Lebanon 0
- 78 Lesotho 0
- 78 Liberia 0
- 78 Libya 0
- 78 Liechtenstein 0
- 78 Madagascar 0
- 78 Malawi 0
- 78 Malaysia 0
- 78 Maldives 0
- 78 Mali 0
- 78 Mauritania 0
- 78 Mexico 0
- 78 Moldova 0
- 78 Monaco 0
- 78 Montenegro 0
- 78 Morocco 0
- 78 Mozambique 0
- 78 Myanmar 0
- 78 Nepal 0
- 78 Nicaragua 0
- 78 Niger 0
- 78 Nigeria 0
- 78 North Korea 0
- 78 North Macedonia 0
- 78 Oman 0
- 78 Pakistan 0
- 78 Palestine 0
- 78 Paraguay 0
- 78 Peru 0 compare
- 78 Philippines 0 compare
- 78 Qatar 0
- 78 Russia 0
- 78 Rwanda 0
- 78 Saudi Arabia 0
- 78 Senegal 0 compare
- 78 Serbia 0
- 78 Sierra Leone 0
- 78 Singapore 0
- 78 Slovakia 0 compare
- 78 Solomon Islands 0 compare
- 78 Somalia 0
- 78 South Sudan 0
- 78 Sri Lanka 0 compare
- 78 Sudan 0
- 78 Syria 0
- 78 Tajikistan 0
- 78 Tanzania 0
- 78 Thailand 0
- 78 Togo 0
- 78 Tunisia 0
- 78 Turkey 0
- 78 Turkmenistan 0
- 78 USSR 0
- 78 Uganda 0
- 78 Ukraine 0
- 78 United Arab Emirates 0
- 78 Uzbekistan 0
- 78 Vatican 0
- 78 Venezuela 0 compare
- 78 Vietnam 0
- 78 Western Sahara 0
- 78 Yemen 0
- 78 Zambia 0
- 78 Zimbabwe 0
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 full democracy in Botswana?
- Full democracy in Botswana was 0 in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest full democracy recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 1 in 1988.
- What is the lowest full democracy recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1885.
- How does Botswana rank for full democracy?
- Botswana ranks 78th out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Full democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Identifies if a country is a full democracy using the extended Lexical Index of Electoral Democracy (LIED+).