Political Rights Rating in Botswana
Botswana: Political Rights Rating was 2 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
2
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
115th
of 199 countries
All-time high
3
in 1972
All-time low
1
in 1989
Years of data
53
1972–2025
Political Rights Rating in Botswana, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Botswana recorded 2 for political rights rating in 2025.
That represents a change of down 33.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, political rights rating in Botswana peaked at 3 in 1972 and was at its lowest, 1, in 1989.
Botswana ranks 115th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 53 years of available data.
Political Rights Rating in Botswana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 3 | — |
| 1973 | 2 | -33.3% |
| 1974 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 1 | -50.0% |
| 1990 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 2 | +100.0% |
| 1994 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 3 | +50.0% |
| 2010 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 2 | -33.3% |
| 2025 | 2 | +0.0% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 2 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3, 67% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 2 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6, 33% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.12 | 2 | 3 | 8 |
| 1980s | 1.89 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
| 1990s | 1.7 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.1 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.67 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
- 115 Antigua and Barbuda 2 compare
- 115 Argentina 2 compare
- 115 Belize 2 compare
- 115 Bhutan 2 compare
- 115 Bolivia 2 compare
- 115 Brazil 2 compare
- 115 Bulgaria 2 compare
- 115 Colombia 2 compare
- 115 Croatia 2 compare
- 115 East Timor 2 compare
- 115 Ghana 2 compare
- 115 Greece 2 compare
- 115 India 2 compare
- 115 Israel 2 compare
- 115 Italy 2 compare
- 115 Jamaica 2 compare
- 115 Lesotho 2 compare
- 115 Liberia 2 compare
- 115 Liechtenstein 2 compare
- 115 Malawi 2 compare
- 115 Malta 2 compare
- 115 Nauru 2 compare
- 115 Panama 2 compare
- 115 Poland 2 compare
- 115 Romania 2 compare
- 115 Saint Kitts and Nevis 2 compare
- 115 Samoa 2 compare
- 115 Sao Tome and Principe 2 compare
- 115 Senegal 2 compare
- 115 Seychelles 2 compare
- 115 Slovakia 2 compare
- 115 South Africa 2 compare
- 115 South Korea 2 compare
- 115 Suriname 2 compare
- 115 Trinidad and Tobago 2 compare
- 115 United States 2 compare
- 115 Vanuatu 2 compare
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)
- 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)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 3.8 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is political rights rating in Botswana?
- Political rights rating in Botswana was 2 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest political rights rating recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 3 in 1972.
- What is the lowest political rights rating recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 in 1989.
- How does Botswana rank for political rights rating?
- Botswana ranks 115th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is political rights rating rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Political Rights Rating. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Identifies the extent of free and fair elections, political pluralism and participation, and a functioning government. Lower ratings indicate more rights.