Land use in Botswana
Botswana: Land use was 262,000 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
262,000 hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
143rd
of 224 countries
All-time high
421,000 hectares
in 1990
All-time low
184,000 hectares
in 2007
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Botswana, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for land use in Botswana is 262,000 hectares, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Botswana peaked at 421,000 hectares in 1990 and was at its lowest, 184,000 hectares, in 2007.
That places Botswana 143rd out of 224 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Botswana, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 400,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 400,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 400,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 400,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 401,000 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 401,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 401,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 401,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 401,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 401,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 401,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 402,000 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 402,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 402,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 402,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 402,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 402,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 402,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 404,000 hectares | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 404,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 404,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 406,000 hectares | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 406,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 406,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 408,000 hectares | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 408,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 410,000 hectares | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 410,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 415,000 hectares | +1.2% |
| 1990 | 421,000 hectares | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 301,000 hectares | -28.5% |
| 1992 | 251,000 hectares | -16.6% |
| 1993 | 351,000 hectares | +39.8% |
| 1994 | 396,000 hectares | +12.8% |
| 1995 | 346,000 hectares | -12.6% |
| 1996 | 346,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 301,000 hectares | -13.0% |
| 1998 | 231,000 hectares | -23.3% |
| 1999 | 241,000 hectares | +4.3% |
| 2000 | 351,000 hectares | +45.6% |
| 2001 | 201,000 hectares | -42.7% |
| 2002 | 246,000 hectares | +22.4% |
| 2003 | 196,000 hectares | -20.3% |
| 2004 | 227,000 hectares | +15.8% |
| 2005 | 215,000 hectares | -5.3% |
| 2006 | 203,000 hectares | -5.6% |
| 2007 | 184,000 hectares | -9.4% |
| 2008 | 281,000 hectares | +52.7% |
| 2009 | 318,000 hectares | +13.2% |
| 2010 | 261,000 hectares | -17.9% |
| 2011 | 326,000 hectares | +24.9% |
| 2012 | 287,000 hectares | -12.0% |
| 2013 | 282,000 hectares | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 404,000 hectares | +43.3% |
| 2015 | 261,600 hectares | -35.2% |
| 2016 | 261,600 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 261,600 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 261,600 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 262,000 hectares | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 262,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 262,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 262,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 262,000 hectares | +0.0% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 262,000 hectares is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.58 million hectares, 17% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 262,000 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.21 million hectares, 8% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Land use 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | +52.7% | 184,000 hectares | 281,000 hectares |
| 2000 | +45.6% | 241,000 hectares | 351,000 hectares |
| 2014 | +43.3% | 282,000 hectares | 404,000 hectares |
| 2001 | -42.7% | 351,000 hectares | 201,000 hectares |
| 1993 | +39.8% | 251,000 hectares | 351,000 hectares |
| 2015 | -35.2% | 404,000 hectares | 261,600 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 400,556 hectares | 400,000 hectares | 401,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 402,000 hectares | 401,000 hectares | 404,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 407,700 hectares | 404,000 hectares | 415,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 318,500 hectares | 231,000 hectares | 421,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 242,200 hectares | 184,000 hectares | 351,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 286,840 hectares | 261,000 hectares | 404,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 262,000 hectares | 262,000 hectares | 262,000 hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More environment data for Botswana
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 6.04 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 6.49 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.381 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.443 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -4.05 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 0.3323 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Botswana?
- Land use in Botswana was 262,000 hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 421,000 hectares in 1990.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 184,000 hectares in 2007.
- How does Botswana rank for land use?
- Botswana ranks 143rd out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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