Botswana: crime and justice

What is the murder rate in Botswana?

Botswana recorded 11.4 intentional homicides per 100,000 people in 2021, according to the World Bank, which publishes UN Office on Drugs and Crime data. The rate was 9.3 in 2020.

The UNODC series uses a standard international definition of intentional homicide so that countries can be compared, and it is published with a delay. Statistics Botswana compiles crime statistics from the courts' Case Information Management System, covering cases decided, convictions and the sex of accused people, and lists its crime statistics reports on its website. The Botswana Police Service website did not respond on 15 October 2026.

Official sources: World Bank: Intentional homicides per 100,000 people, Botswana · Statistics Botswana: crime statistics

What is the homicide rate in Botswana?

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime puts the intentional homicide rate in Botswana at 11.4 per 100,000 in 2021. Since 2005 it has ranged from 9.3 per 100,000 (2020) to 15.8 per 100,000 (2005). Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 7.4 per 100,000, and Botswana placed 3rd highest of 10. World rank, highest first: 25th of 109.

How many women are murdered in Botswana?

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the homicide rate for women in Botswana was 8.3 per 100,000 in 2021. Sub-Saharan Africa median: 2.6 per 100,000; Botswana is 2nd highest of 7. Of 98 countries with 2021 data, 5th highest.