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Rock paintings in Tsodilo Hills, Botswana

Photo: Joachim Huber derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale

Food & Agriculture

134th

of 184 countries placed

Placed from 4 of 4 key statistics

01The evidence

The 4 key statistics that decide it

Only these place Botswana on food & agriculture — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.

Why these keys
  1. Key 1 of 4

    Progress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy)

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Why it is a key

    2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0

    1.71

    Current status score, from 1 (worst) to 5 (best), averaged over up to seven sub-indicators

    Higher is better

    Botswana: 1.71. Across the 186 countries in this edition, values run from 1.67 (Tuvalu) to 4.57 (Italy); the world median is 3.14.

    World median
    3.14
    Best in Southern Africa
    3.14 South Africa
    Land neighbours
    Namibia 2.14 · South Africa 3.14 · Zimbabwe 2.43
  2. Key 2 of 4

    Cereal Yield

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Why it is a key

    2023 edition · data for 2023 · CC BY 4.0

    870.2

    Cereal yield (kg per hectare)

    Higher is better

    Botswana: 870.2. Across the 179 countries in this edition, values run from 23 (Cabo Verde) to 29,147 (Oman); the world median is 3,072.

    World median
    3,072
    Best in Southern Africa
    5,703 South Africa
    Land neighbours
    Namibia 451.2 · South Africa 5,703 · Zimbabwe 743.9
  3. Key 3 of 4

    Dietary Energy Supply

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Why it is a key

    2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0

    2,715

    Dietary energy supply (kcal per person per day)

    Higher is better

    Botswana: 2,715. Across the 155 countries in this edition, values run from 1,757 (Somalia) to 3,962 (United States); the world median is 2,982.

    World median
    2,982
    Best in Southern Africa
    2,715 Botswana
    Land neighbours
    Namibia 2,512 · South Africa 2,659 · Zimbabwe 2,410
  4. Key 4 of 4

    Agriculture Orientation Index

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

    Why it is a key

    2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0

    2.16

    Agriculture orientation index (1.0 = spending matches sector size)

    Higher is better

    Botswana: 2.16. Across the 132 countries in this edition, values run from 0.03 (Ghana) to 5.38 (Singapore); the world median is 0.305.

    World median
    0.305
    Best in Southern Africa
    2.16 Botswana
    Land neighbours
    Namibia 0.28 · South Africa 0.43

03In context

Botswana beside its neighbours

A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 184 countries on food & agriculture, never a place within the region.

Southern Africa
1st184thNot placed · 40 countries with too few key statisticsNo data

The whole world on food & agriculture

Botswana and the countries it borders

Standing among all 184; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.

CountryStandingProgress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy)Current status score, from 1 (worst) to 5 (best), averaged over up to seven sub-indicatorsCereal YieldCereal yield (kg per hectare)Dietary Energy SupplyDietary energy supply (kcal per person per day)Agriculture Orientation IndexAgriculture orientation index (1.0 = spending matches sector size)
South Africa=77th3.145,7032,6590.43
Botswana134th1.71870.22,7152.16
Namibia167th2.14451.22,5120.28
Zimbabwe=176th2.43743.92,410—

“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is

Across Southern Africa

Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 184.

Placed either side on food & agriculture

The countries immediately above and below Botswana in the topic’s list.

04Context, no vote

Where Botswana is ahead of the world, and behind

27 more statistics filed under food & agriculture, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.

Every country

Ahead of the world median1

Statistics on which Botswana does better than the middle country measured.

  • Crop Production IndexFAO · 2022 · world median 106.23138.33▲ Improved since 2012

    Botswana: 138.33 · world median 106.23 · Crop production index (2014–2016 = 100). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.

    Published values in that edition run from 53.79 to 189.93; higher is better.

    Position 13th of 195 · derived.

    Chart and every countryThe 2022 dataset

Behind the world median10

Statistics on which Botswana does worse than the middle country measured.

  • Share of Dietary Energy Supply from Cereals, Roots and TubersFAO · 2022 · world median 4151▲ Improved since 2012

    Botswana: 51 · world median 41 · Share of dietary energy supply from cereals, roots and tubers (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.

    Published values in that edition run from 21 to 82; lower is better.

    Chart and every countryThe 2022 dataset

  • Vegetable Supply per PersonFAO · 2023 · world median 102.6948.88▼ Worsened since 2013

    Botswana: 48.88 · world median 102.69 · Vegetables available as food (kg per person per year). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 6.89 to 412.72; higher is better.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Value Added per WorkerWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 6,7421,899▼ Worsened since 2015

    Botswana: 1,899 · world median 6,742 · Agricultural value added per worker (constant 2015 US$). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 210.77 to 150,632; higher is better.

    Position 120th of 151 · derived.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

  • Per Capita Food Supply VariabilityFAO · 2024 · world median 2948▼ Worsened since 2014

    Botswana: 48 · world median 29 · Year-to-year variability of the food supply (kcal per person per day). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 4 to 227; lower is better.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Fruit Supply per PersonFAO · 2023 · world median 84.8346.64▲ Improved since 2013

    Botswana: 46.64 · world median 84.83 · Fruit available as food, excluding wine (kg per person per year). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 4.27 to 379.63; higher is better.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Food Production IndexFAO · 2022 · world median 106.0896.87▼ Worsened since 2012

    Botswana: 96.87 · world median 106.08 · Food production index (2014–2016 = 100). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.

    Published values in that edition run from 71.08 to 177.49; higher is better.

    Position 161st of 195 · derived.

    Chart and every countryThe 2022 dataset

  • Prevalence of Severe Food InsecurityFAO · 2024 · world median 4.920.4▲ Improved since 2015

    Botswana: 20.4 · world median 4.9 · Population in severe food insecurity (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.6 to 62.9; lower is better.

    Position 20th of 119 · derived, 1st = worst.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Livestock Production IndexFAO · 2022 · world median 107.0690.32▼ Worsened since 2012

    Botswana: 90.32 · world median 107.06 · Livestock production index (2014–2016 = 100). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.

    Published values in that edition run from 35.52 to 190.08; higher is better.

    Position 173rd of 194 · derived.

    Chart and every countryThe 2022 dataset

  • Prevalence of UndernourishmentFAO · 2023 · world median 5.224No real change since 2013

    Botswana: 24 · world median 5.2 · Population undernourished (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 2.5 to 54.2; lower is better.

    Position 17th of 104 · derived, 1st = worst.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Agricultural Emissions IntensityFAO · 2023 · world median 1.56528.2No real change since 2013

    Botswana: 28.2 · world median 1.565 · Greenhouse gases from farming per value of agricultural output (kg CO₂eq per international dollar). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 28.2; lower is better.

    Position 1st of 190 · derived, 1st = worst.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

No better end16

These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.

  • Cropland Nitrogen BalanceFAO · 2023 · world median 37.6370.97Moved since 2013

    Botswana: 70.97 · world median 37.63 · Nitrogen surplus (+) or deficit (−) on cropland, kg per hectare. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from -555.52 to 1,199.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Cereal Import Dependency RatioFAO · 2022 · world median 42.882.7Moved since 2012

    Botswana: 82.7 · world median 42.8 · Share of the cereal supply that is imported (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.

    Published values in that edition run from -1,894 to 100.

    Chart and every countryThe 2022 dataset

  • Pesticide Use per HectareFAO · 2024 · world median 1.734.78Moved since 2014

    Botswana: 4.78 · world median 1.73 · Pesticide use (kg per hectare of cropland). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 37.72.

    Position 56th of 178 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Agricultural LandFAO · 2023 · world median 37.9645.63No real change since 2013

    Botswana: 45.63 · world median 37.96 · Agricultural land (% of land area). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.445 to 86.48.

    Position 77th of 209 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Agricultural EmissionsFAO · 2023 · world median 8,63515,261Moved since 2013

    Botswana: 15,261 · world median 8,635 · Farm-gate emissions (kt CO₂eq). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 1,044,508.

    Position 74th of 193 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Employment in AgricultureILO · 2025 · world median 14.3818.03Moved since 2015

    Botswana: 18.03 · world median 14.38 · Employment in agriculture (% of total employment). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.095 to 85.34.

    Position 81st of 182 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

  • Fertilizer Consumption per HectareFAO · 2023 · world median 87.3693.08Moved since 2013

    Botswana: 93.08 · world median 87.36 · Fertilizer consumption (kg per hectare of arable land). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 2,926.

    Position 90th of 188 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Arable Land per PersonFAO · 2023 · world median 0.1090.105Moved since 2013

    Botswana: 0.105 · world median 0.109 · Arable land (hectares per person). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 1.459.

    Position 106th of 206 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Meat Supply per PersonFAO · 2023 · world median 57.8343.27Moved since 2013

    Botswana: 43.27 · world median 57.83 · Meat available as food (kg per person per year, carcass weight). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 3.49 to 156.95.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Water Withdrawal by SectorFAO · 2022 · world median 62.1427.97Moved since 2012

    Botswana: 27.97 · world median 62.14 · Freshwater withdrawn for agriculture (% of total). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 99.48.

    Position 126th of 171 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2022 dataset

  • Land Under Cereal ProductionFAO · 2023 · world median 689,27885,700No real change since 2013

    Botswana: 85,700 · world median 689,278 · Land under cereal production (hectares). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 103,715,108.

    Position 137th of 179 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Value Added (% of GDP)World Bank Group · 2025 · world median 6.5721.781Moved since 2015

    Botswana: 1.781 · world median 6.572 · Agriculture, forestry and fishing value added (% of GDP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.025 to 47.59.

    Position 129th of 158 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2025 dataset

  • Fish and Seafood Supply per PersonFAO · 2023 · world median 16.172.22Moved since 2013

    Botswana: 2.22 · world median 16.17 · Fish and seafood available as food (kg per person per year, live-weight equivalent). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.38 to 83.81.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Fisheries and Aquaculture ProductionFAO · 2024 · world median 52,375196Moved since 2014

    Botswana: 196 · world median 52,375 · Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic animals caught or farmed, tonnes (live weight). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.

    Published values in that edition run from 0 to 70,500,841.

    Chart and every countryThe 2024 dataset

  • Agricultural Irrigated LandFAO · 2023 · world median 3.660.01No earlier reading

    Botswana: 0.01 · world median 3.66 · Irrigated share of agricultural land (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.003 to 89.04.

    Position 120th of 121 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

  • Livestock DensityFAO · 2023 · world median 0.5350.03Moved since 2013

    Botswana: 0.03 · world median 0.535 · Livestock units per hectare of agricultural land. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.

    Published values in that edition run from 0.02 to 43.97.

    Position 187th of 188 · derived, counted from the highest value.

    Chart and every countryThe 2023 dataset

No current reading for Botswana

Global Report on Food Crises, Legal Guarantees of Women's Equal Rights to Land, Organic Agricultural Area and Women's Share of Agricultural Landowners. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.

“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing

06The top of the list

Who leads on food & agriculture

The three countries placed highest of 184, and the leaders Botswana can most readily be measured against.

All 184 countries
  1. 1

    Serbia

    Southern Europe

    1st of 184 · 4 of 4 keys

    Photo: Lošmi derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale

  2. 2

    Austria

    Western Europe

    2nd of 184 · 4 of 4 keys

    Photo: chensiyuan · CC BY-SA 4.0, greyscale

  3. 3

    Malta

    Southern Europe

    3rd of 184 · 3 of 4 keys

    Photo: Dirk Heldmaier derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale

Placed highest nearby

  1. Highest in Africa

    Seychelles31st2/4 keys
  2. Highest in Southern Africa

    South Africa=77th4/4 keys
  3. This page

    Botswana134th4/4 keys

Positions out of 184 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.

07Questions

Botswana on food & agriculture: questions answered

Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.

How does Botswana rank on food & agriculture?

Botswana is placed 134th of 184 countries on Food & Agriculture in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics (Progress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy), Cereal Yield, Dietary Energy Supply and Agriculture Orientation Index). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.

What is the latest Progress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy) figure for Botswana?

1.71 in 2024 (current status score, from 1 (worst) to 5 (best), averaged over up to seven sub-indicators), according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The world median in the same edition was 3.14.

What is the latest Cereal Yield figure for Botswana?

870.2 in 2023 (cereal yield (kg per hectare)), according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The world median in the same edition was 3,072.

How does Botswana compare with South Africa on food & agriculture?

South Africa is placed joint 77th of 184, and Botswana 134th. Progress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy): South Africa 3.14, Botswana 1.71; Cereal Yield: South Africa 5,703, Botswana 870.2; Dietary Energy Supply: South Africa 2,659, Botswana 2,715; Agriculture Orientation Index: South Africa 0.43, Botswana 2.16.

How have Botswana’s food & agriculture figures changed?

Progress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy) fell from 1.86 in 2015 to 1.71 in 2024; Cereal Yield rose from 203.7 in 2000 to 870.2 in 2023; Dietary Energy Supply rose from 2,187 in 2001 to 2,715 in 2024; Agriculture Orientation Index rose from 1.59 in 2001 to 2.16 in 2024.

Which food & agriculture statistics are missing for Botswana?

No current reading is published for Botswana on Global Report on Food Crises, Legal Guarantees of Women's Equal Rights to Land, Organic Agricultural Area and Women's Share of Agricultural Landowners. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.

08Method

Method, sources and how to cite

What this topic does not measure

This subject is about production and land use, not about whether people are fed. Hunger, undernourishment and what a population actually eats are measured under Health & Wellbeing, and the two regularly disagree — a country can grow a great deal and still leave many people short, and one that grows little can be well fed by trade. The wider environmental cost of farming — emissions, water withdrawal, forest cover — is filed under Environment & Sustainability.

About food & agriculture, in full

How the Food & Agriculture standing is decided

A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 4 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 4 keys to be placed.

The food & agriculture method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built

The key statistics and their licences

The other 27 statistics on this page come from 3 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.

The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photographs

Botswana’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.

Cite this page

Nations Inquiry (2026). Botswana: Food & Agriculture — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/botswana/food

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