01Key Takeaways
- Botswana's imports totaled $6.42 billion in 2023, down 20.9% from $8.11 billion in 2022, the sharpest annual pullback in the five-year period.
- South Africa was overwhelmingly the top supplier, providing 65.0% of imports worth $4.17 billion, more than eight times every other supplier combined.
- Namibia ranked a distant second at 7.7% ($495.96 million), and the top three suppliers together made up 77.6% of total import value.
- Mineral fuels led all import categories at 20.5% of total value ($1.32 billion), ahead of precious stones, metals and jewellery at 14.9%.
025-Year Trend
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $6.7B | $6.6B | $8.5B | $8.1B | $6.4B |
03Top Import Markets (2023)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa | $4.2B | 65.0% |
| 2 | Namibia | $496.0M | 7.7% |
| 3 | Canada | $312.0M | 4.9% |
| 4 | China | $210.1M | 3.3% |
| 5 | India | $174.4M | 2.7% |
| 6 | Zambia | $132.8M | 2.1% |
| 7 | Armenia | $114.2M | 1.8% |
| 8 | Mozambique | $98.7M | 1.5% |
| 9 | United States | $85.2M | 1.3% |
| 10 | Belgium | $79.6M | 1.2% |
04Top Import Categories (2023)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Products of their Distillation; Bituminous Substances; Mineral Waxes | $1.3B | 20.5% |
| 2 | Natural or Cultured Pearls, Precious or Semi-Precious Stones, Precious Metals, Metals Clad with Precious Metal, and Articles thereof; Imitation Jewellery; Coin | $954.6M | 14.9% |
| 3 | Nuclear Reactors, Boilers, Machinery and Mechanical Appliances; Parts thereof | $541.3M | 8.4% |
| 4 | Vehicles other than Railway or Tramway Rolling-Stock, and parts and accessories thereof | $455.6M | 7.1% |
| 5 | Electrical Machinery and Equipment and parts thereof; Sound Recorders and Reproducers, Television Image and Sound Recorders and Reproducers, and Parts and Accessories of such Articles | $344.0M | 5.4% |
| 6 | Beverages, Spirits and Vinegar | $279.4M | 4.4% |
| 7 | Cereals | $155.4M | 2.4% |
| 8 | Plastics and Articles thereof | $154.2M | 2.4% |
| 9 | Pharmaceutical Products | $138.3M | 2.2% |
| 10 | Articles of Iron or Steel | $130.1M | 2.0% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
South Africa Supplies Nearly Two-Thirds of Botswana's Imports
Botswana imported $6.42 billion worth of goods in 2023, the latest year with verified trade data in this dataset. That total marks a decline of 20.9% from the $8.11 billion recorded in 2022, the sharpest annual pullback in the five-year span this dataset covers. South Africa supplied the overwhelming majority of that total, worth $4.17 billion, or 65.0% of everything Botswana imported.
Namibia ranked a distant second at 7.7% ($495.96 million), ahead of Canada at 4.9% ($311.98 million) and China at 3.3% ($210.14 million). India took fifth place at 2.7% ($174.43 million), followed by Zambia at 2.1% ($132.85 million) and Armenia at 1.8% ($114.20 million). Mozambique took eighth place at 1.5% ($98.69 million), the United States added 1.3% ($85.18 million), and Belgium rounded out the top ten at 1.2% ($79.64 million). Together, the top three suppliers made up 77.6% of total import value.
That level of concentration reflects Botswana's position as a landlocked country inside the Southern African Customs Union. Lloyds Bank Trade reports that Botswana's imports come chiefly from South Africa, Namibia, Canada, China, and India, in that exact order and at nearly identical shares to the list here, underscoring how closely Botswana's import structure is tied to its regional customs union membership and lack of direct sea access. Canada and Armenia's presence among the top suppliers stands out for two countries this far from Botswana, and both connect back to the same diamond trade that dominates Botswana's exports: rough diamonds mined in Canada and stones processed through Armenia's cutting centers both pass through Botswana's sorting and valuation operations before moving on to buyers elsewhere. Zambia, Mozambique, the USA, and Belgium round out a top ten that otherwise leans heavily on the immediate Southern African region.
Fuel and Diamonds Lead an Import Mix Shaped by Trade and Transit
Mineral fuels, mineral oils and related distillation products led all import categories in 2023, worth $1.32 billion and accounting for 20.5% of total import value. Natural, cultured pearls, precious and semi-precious stones, precious metals and jewellery followed at 14.9% ($954.63 million), and machinery and mechanical appliances ranked third at 8.4% ($541.32 million).
Vehicles other than railway or tramway rolling stock added 7.1% ($455.56 million), while electrical machinery and equipment contributed 5.4% ($343.99 million). Beverages, spirits and vinegar brought in 4.4% ($279.43 million), and cereals added 2.4% ($155.44 million). Plastics and articles thereof contributed 2.4% ($154.17 million), pharmaceutical products added 2.2% ($138.30 million), and iron or steel articles closed out the top ten at 2.0% ($130.10 million).
Fuel's leading position is consistent with Botswana having no domestic oil production or refining capacity, meaning all the petroleum products used for transport and power generation have to be shipped in, mostly through South Africa's ports and pipeline network. The second-place ranking for precious stones and metals is a striking mirror of Botswana's export profile, where the same category dominates in the opposite direction. That is not a coincidence. A meaningful share of the rough diamonds sorted, valued, and traded through Botswana's diamond hub arrives from other producing countries before being re-exported, showing up here as an import even though the country is better known as a diamond source than a diamond buyer. Machinery, vehicles, and electrical equipment further down the list point to steady demand for transport and industrial goods, while cereals and beverages reflect food imports typical of a country with limited arable land for large-scale crop production.
A Sharp Pullback After a Peak Year
Botswana's imports followed a mostly upward path over the first three years of this dataset before pulling back sharply. Imports held roughly steady from $6.66 billion in 2019 to $6.61 billion in 2020, a period when many countries saw larger swings from pandemic-related disruptions, then climbed to a five-year high of $8.46 billion in 2021 and eased slightly to $8.11 billion in 2022, before declining 20.9% to $6.42 billion in 2023.
The scale of the 2023 pullback, visible on both the import and export sides, points to a broader slowdown in Botswana's diamond-driven trade activity rather than a shift specific to one side of the ledger. For a closer look at how individual partner countries or product categories break down year over year, the data panels above provide the full detail behind these figures.