Land use in Botswana
Botswana: Land use was 262,000 hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
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 142nd out of 223 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.
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
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 12.1 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 4.8 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 1.51 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.237 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 1.07 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0012 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 3.36 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.001 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0185 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 0.5204 Mt CO2e (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 142nd out of 223 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
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).