Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Botswana
Botswana: Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) was 45.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Botswana, 1985–2024
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2024, unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Botswana stood at 45.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and up 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Botswana peaked at 45.6% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 25.6%, in 1991.
That places Botswana 2nd out of 160 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Botswana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 37.8% | — |
| 1991 | 25.6% | -32.2% |
| 1996 | 37.9% | +48.1% |
| 2001 | 39.7% | +4.5% |
| 2006 | 32.6% | -17.8% |
| 2009 | 33.4% | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 36.0% | +7.7% |
| 2011 | 42.9% | +19.3% |
| 2019 | 35.5% | -17.3% |
| 2020 | 41.9% | +18.1% |
| 2021 | 44.9% | +7.2% |
| 2022 | 44.2% | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 45.6% | +3.1% |
| 2024 | 45.2% | -0.9% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 45.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 15.5%, 2.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 45.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10.4%, 4.3× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | +48.1% | 25.6% | 37.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 37.8% | 37.8% | 37.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 31.8% | 25.6% | 37.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 35.2% | 32.6% | 39.7% | 3 |
| 2010s | 38.1% | 35.5% | 42.9% | 3 |
| 2020s | 44.4% | 41.9% | 45.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
- 1 South Africa 60.1% compare
- 3 Curaçao 42.2% compare
- 4 Palestine, State of 40.8% compare
- 5 Jordan 39.3% compare
More work & labour data for Botswana
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.146 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.1401 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.1516 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9387 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.07 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 2,871 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 550.66 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 1,969 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 1,868 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 3,837 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Botswana?
- Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) in Botswana was 45.2% in 2024, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 45.6% in 2023.
- What is the lowest unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.6% in 1991.
- How does Botswana rank for unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24)?
- Botswana ranks 2nd out of 160 countries with data for 2024.
- Is unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.