Cotton yields in Botswana
Botswana: Cotton yields was 1.93 tonnes per hectare in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
1.93 tonnes per hectare
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
33rd
of 101 countries
All-time high
6.36 tonnes per hectare
in 1966
All-time low
1.76 tonnes per hectare
in 1970
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Cotton yields in Botswana, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per hectare.
Analysis
In 2024, cotton yields in Botswana stood at 1.93 tonnes per hectare.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cotton yields in Botswana peaked at 6.36 tonnes per hectare in 1966 and was at its lowest, 1.76 tonnes per hectare, in 1970.
That places Botswana 33rd out of 101 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Cotton yields in Botswana, year by year
| Year | tonnes per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 3.12 tonnes per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 2.5 tonnes per hectare | -20.0% |
| 1963 | 2.5 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 4.88 tonnes per hectare | +95.2% |
| 1965 | 5.68 tonnes per hectare | +16.4% |
| 1966 | 6.36 tonnes per hectare | +12.0% |
| 1967 | 3.6 tonnes per hectare | -43.5% |
| 1968 | 2.85 tonnes per hectare | -20.8% |
| 1969 | 3.43 tonnes per hectare | +20.4% |
| 1970 | 1.76 tonnes per hectare | -48.8% |
| 1971 | 2.87 tonnes per hectare | +63.1% |
| 1972 | 2.82 tonnes per hectare | -1.8% |
| 1973 | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | -3.2% |
| 1974 | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 2.63 tonnes per hectare | -3.4% |
| 1991 | 2.55 tonnes per hectare | -3.3% |
| 1992 | 2.57 tonnes per hectare | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 2.6 tonnes per hectare | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 2.63 tonnes per hectare | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 2.7 tonnes per hectare | +2.6% |
| 1996 | 2.59 tonnes per hectare | -3.9% |
| 1997 | 2.5 tonnes per hectare | -3.6% |
| 1998 | 2.56 tonnes per hectare | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 2.53 tonnes per hectare | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | +8.0% |
| 2001 | 2.91 tonnes per hectare | +6.8% |
| 2002 | 3.11 tonnes per hectare | +6.8% |
| 2003 | 3.41 tonnes per hectare | +9.6% |
| 2004 | 3.62 tonnes per hectare | +6.2% |
| 2005 | 3.79 tonnes per hectare | +4.7% |
| 2006 | 3.92 tonnes per hectare | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 5 tonnes per hectare | +27.4% |
| 2008 | 3.73 tonnes per hectare | -25.5% |
| 2009 | 3.39 tonnes per hectare | -9.0% |
| 2010 | 3.04 tonnes per hectare | -10.4% |
| 2011 | 2.63 tonnes per hectare | -13.4% |
| 2012 | 2.22 tonnes per hectare | -15.6% |
| 2013 | 2.13 tonnes per hectare | -4.3% |
| 2014 | 2 tonnes per hectare | -6.0% |
| 2015 | 2 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 2 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 2 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 2 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1.87 tonnes per hectare | -6.5% |
| 2020 | 1.96 tonnes per hectare | +4.6% |
| 2021 | 1.94 tonnes per hectare | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 1.92 tonnes per hectare | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 1.94 tonnes per hectare | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 1.93 tonnes per hectare | -0.3% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 1.93 tonnes per hectare is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.89 tonnes per hectare, 1.0× the median. (30 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 1.93 tonnes per hectare is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.8911 tonnes per hectare, 2.2× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cotton yields 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | +95.2% | 2.5 tonnes per hectare | 4.88 tonnes per hectare |
| 1971 | +63.1% | 1.76 tonnes per hectare | 2.87 tonnes per hectare |
| 1970 | -48.8% | 3.43 tonnes per hectare | 1.76 tonnes per hectare |
| 1967 | -43.5% | 6.36 tonnes per hectare | 3.6 tonnes per hectare |
| 2007 | +27.4% | 3.92 tonnes per hectare | 5 tonnes per hectare |
| 2008 | -25.5% | 5 tonnes per hectare | 3.73 tonnes per hectare |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.88 tonnes per hectare | 2.5 tonnes per hectare | 6.36 tonnes per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.65 tonnes per hectare | 1.76 tonnes per hectare | 2.87 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.59 tonnes per hectare | 2.5 tonnes per hectare | 2.7 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.56 tonnes per hectare | 2.73 tonnes per hectare | 5 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.19 tonnes per hectare | 1.87 tonnes per hectare | 3.04 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.94 tonnes per hectare | 1.92 tonnes per hectare | 1.96 tonnes per hectare | 5 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More agriculture & rural data for Botswana
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0178 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 138.54 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0839 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3204 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.0% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cotton yields in Botswana?
- Cotton yields in Botswana was 1.93 tonnes per hectare in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cotton yields recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 6.36 tonnes per hectare in 1966.
- What is the lowest cotton yields recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.76 tonnes per hectare in 1970.
- How does Botswana rank for cotton yields?
- Botswana ranks 33rd out of 101 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cotton yields rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.3%. 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 Cotton yields. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Yield is the amount produced per unit of land used, measured in tonnes per hectare.