Prison population rate in Botswana

Botswana: Prison population rate was 161 in 2022. ▼ Falling

Latest (2022)
161
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
101st
of 202 countries
All-time high
381
in 2000
All-time low
161
in 2022
Years of data
9
2000–2022

Prison population rate in Botswana, 2000–2022

01002003004002000201120222000: 3812002: 3202004: 3282006: 3142012: 2112014: 2022016: 2102021: 1622022: 161

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

Botswana recorded 161 for prison population rate in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.

The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 23.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prison population rate in Botswana peaked at 381 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 161, in 2022.

That places Botswana 101st out of 202 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

Prison population rate in Botswana, year by year

Annual values for Prison population rate in Botswana, 2000 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2000 381 —
2002 320 -16.0%
2004 328 +2.5%
2006 314 -4.3%
2012 211 -32.8%
2014 202 -4.3%
2016 210 +4.0%
2021 162 -22.9%
2022 161 -0.6%

Botswana compared with similar countries

  • Botswana's 161 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 216, 75% of the median. (54 countries reporting)
  • Botswana's 161 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 90, 1.8× the median. (39 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 335.75 314 381 4
2010s 207.67 202 211 3
2020s 161.5 161 162 2

Countries ranked near Botswana

  1. 98 Montenegro 168 compare
  2. 99 Mongolia 166 compare
  3. 100 Kazakhstan 163 compare
  4. 102 Cook Islands 156 compare
  5. 102 Lithuania 156 compare
  6. 104 Philippines 151 compare

See the full ranking of 202 places →

More population data for Botswana

All data for Botswana →

Frequently asked questions

What is prison population rate in Botswana?
Prison population rate in Botswana was 161 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest prison population rate recorded in Botswana?
The highest recorded value was 381 in 2000.
What is the lowest prison population rate recorded in Botswana?
The lowest recorded value was 161 in 2022.
How does Botswana rank for prison population rate?
Botswana ranks 101st out of 202 countries with data for 2022.
Is prison population rate rising or falling in Botswana?
Over the last ten years it is down 23.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Botswana data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Prison population rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Prison population rate in Botswana. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/prison-population-rate/botswana/

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About this data

Indicator
Prison population rate
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 2,155 data points, 1993–2026
Last refreshed