Botswana GDP Shrinks in Q4

2026-03-31 09:18 By Luisa Carvalho 1 min. read

The economy of Botswana contracted by 5.4% year-on-year in Q4 2025, following a 8.2% advance in the previous period, largely due to a steep decline of 47% in the mining sector.

Diamond production plunged 54.6%, while coal and soda ash mining also fell 13.3% and 8.2%, respectively, while growth in diamond trading slowed markedly (2.1% vs 88.1%).

Botswana has been hit hard by a prolonged slump in the global diamond market, driven by economic uncertainty and the rising popularity of synthetic alternatives.

Other sectors that contributed negatively to the GDP included construction (-2.3% vs -1.1%) and water and electricity (-1.3% vs -30.1%).

On the other hand, growth picked up for some activities such as manufacturing (6.5% vs 2.5%); agriculture, forestry & fishing (4.2% vs 3.1%); administrative & support (4.4% vs 3.2%) and information & communication (3.7% vs 1.3%).

On a quarterly basis, the GDP slipped by 11.4%, the most since Q2 2020, following a 10.9% rise in the previous quarter.



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Botswana GDP Shrinks in Q4
The economy of Botswana contracted by 5.4% year-on-year in Q4 2025, following a 8.2% advance in the previous period, largely due to a steep decline of 47% in the mining sector. Diamond production plunged 54.6%, while coal and soda ash mining also fell 13.3% and 8.2%, respectively, while growth in diamond trading slowed markedly (2.1% vs 88.1%). Botswana has been hit hard by a prolonged slump in the global diamond market, driven by economic uncertainty and the rising popularity of synthetic alternatives. Other sectors that contributed negatively to the GDP included construction (-2.3% vs -1.1%) and water and electricity (-1.3% vs -30.1%). On the other hand, growth picked up for some activities such as manufacturing (6.5% vs 2.5%); agriculture, forestry & fishing (4.2% vs 3.1%); administrative & support (4.4% vs 3.2%) and information & communication (3.7% vs 1.3%). On a quarterly basis, the GDP slipped by 11.4%, the most since Q2 2020, following a 10.9% rise in the previous quarter.
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