Botswana’s unemployment rate has increased to 21 percent, reflecting continued pressure in the country’s labour market as more people enter the workforce.
Preliminary results from the 2024/25 Botswana Multi Topic Household Survey released by Statistics Botswana show that the unemployment rate among people aged 15 years and above has risen from 17.6 percent recorded in the 2015/16 survey.
The survey shows that while employment has grown over the past decade, the number of people looking for work has also increased.
Statistics Botswana estimates that the employed population rose to 804,663 in 2024/25, compared with 689,528 recorded in 2015/16.
During the same period, the labour force expanded to 1,018,099 people from 836,734 previously.
The survey also indicates that youth unemployment remains high. The unemployment rate among young people aged between 15 and 35 increased to 28.9 percent, compared with 25.1 percent recorded in 2015/16.
Young women recorded a higher unemployment rate of 30.7 percent while young men stood at 27.2 percent.
The report further shows that the country’s extended unemployment rate, which includes discouraged job seekers who are willing to work but are no longer actively searching, declined to 27.3 percent from 32.5 percent in the previous survey.
Statistics Botswana says the findings provide an early picture of labour market conditions and will help inform policy discussions around employment creation.