Natural resources of Botswana
Oil, gas, minerals, forests and water in Botswana: what it produces, how it ranks in the world, who mines it and what it earns. Every figure is from an official source and is updated when the source is.
Resource rents, share of GDP (2021)
1.0 %
Resources, share of goods exports (2024)
84.6 %
Forest, share of land (2024)
27.8 %
Source: World Bank; UN Comtrade; U.S. Energy Information Administration. Last checked 24 October 2026.
Oil, gas and coal
Coal output was 2,455 thousand tonnes in 2024.
| Soda Ash (natural) | 290 | thousand metric tons | 3 | Not published | 1 | 16,000 thousand metric tons |
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026. Last checked 24 October 2026.
Mining and minerals
The U.S. Geological Survey records 11 mineral commodities with published production in Botswana between 2018 and 2022, from metals and gemstones to industrial minerals and fuels. The table includes processed products such as cement and steel, which USGS reports alongside raw minerals.
Showing 11 of 11
| Copper, mine, concentrates, Cu content | Metals | Not published | 1,462 | Not published | Not published | 11,742 | 34,201 | 2019: --; 2020: -- |
| Gold, mine, Au content | Metals | kilograms | 1,105 | 943 | 851 | 649 | 427 | Not published |
| Silver, mine, Ag content | Metals | kilograms | Not published | Not published | Not published | 10,383 | 31,174 | 2018: --; 2019: --; 2020: -- |
| Cement, hydraulic | Industrial Minerals | Not published | 1,000 | Not published | Not published | Not published | 11,000 | 2018: e; 2019: --; 2020: --; 2021: --; 2022: e |
| Clay, brick | Industrial Minerals | Not published | 120,000 | 130,000 | 72,000 | 95,000 | 100,000 | Not published |
| Diamond, gem and industrial | Industrial Minerals | thousand carats | 24,498 | 23,687 | 16,932 | 22,695 | 24,478 | Not published |
| Gemstones, agate | Industrial Minerals | kilograms | 64,000 | 64,000 | 46,000 | 63,000 | 71,000 | Not published |
| Salt | Industrial Minerals | Not published | 367,988 | 383,779 | 418,379 | 484,628 | 323,303 | Not published |
| Sand and gravel, construction, aggregates | Industrial Minerals | thousand metric tons | 3,900 | 4,100 | 2,900 | 4,000 | 4,000 | Not published |
| Soda ash, natural | Industrial Minerals | Not published | 297,237 | 269,119 | 238,476 | 261,838 | 285,215 | Not published |
| Coal, bituminous | Mineral Fuels And Related Materials | Not published | 2,482,313 | 2,110,891 | 1,923,992 | 2,021,218 | 2,460,868 | Not published |
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Minerals Yearbook, country tables. Last checked 24 October 2026.
Showing 25 of 25
| Aggregates, unspecified | Pretoria Portland Cement Ltd. (PPC) | Quarry at Kgale | Not published | Not published |
| Aggregates, unspecified | Pretoria Portland Cement Ltd. (PPC) | Quarry at Francistown | Not published | Not published |
| Aggregates, unspecified | Pretoria Portland Cement Ltd. (PPC) | Quarry at Mokolodi | Not published | Not published |
| Cement | Matsiloje Portland Cement Co. | Plant at Matsiloje in North East District | Not published | Not published |
| Clay | Makoro Brick and Tile (Pty.) Ltd. | Plant at Makoro in Central District | Not published | Not published |
| Clay | Lobatse Clay Works (Pty.) Ltd. (Botswana Development Corp. and Interkiln Corp. joint venture) | Plant at Lobatse in South East District | Not published | Not published |
| Coal | Morupule Colliery (Pty) Ltd. [Debswana Diamond Co. (Pty.) Ltd., 100%] | Morupule Mine, 14 kilometers west of Palapye | Not published | Not published |
| Coal | Minergy Ltd. | Masama Mine in Kweneng District | Not published | Not published |
| Diamond | Debswana Diamond Co. (Pty.) Ltd. (Government, 50%, and De Beers Centenary AG, 50%) | Jwaneng Mine near Jwaneng | Not published | thousand carats |
| Diamond | Debswana Diamond Co. (Pty.) Ltd. (Government, 50%, and De Beers Centenary AG, 50%) | Orapa Mine near Orapa | Not published | thousand carats |
| Diamond | Debswana Diamond Co. (Pty.) Ltd. (Government, 50%, and De Beers Centenary AG, 50%) | Letlhakane Mine near Letlhakane | Not published | thousand carats |
| Diamond | Debswana Diamond Co. (Pty.) Ltd. (Government, 50%, and De Beers Centenary AG, 50%) | Damtshaa Mine in Central District | Not published | thousand carats |
| Diamond | Lucara Diamond Corp. | Karowe Mine in Boteti Sub-District | Not published | thousand carats |
| Diamond | Kimberley Diamonds Ltd. | Lerala Mine near Lerala | Not published | thousand carats |
| Diamond | Gem Diamonds Ltd. | Ghaghoo Mine in Ghanzi District | Not published | thousand carats |
| Gemstones | Agate Botswana (Pty.) Ltd. | Plant at Pilane in Kgatleng District | Not published | kilograms |
| semiprecious | Masa Semi-Precious Stones (Pty.) Ltd. | Plant at Bobonong | Not published | Not published |
| Gold do. | Galane Gold Ltd. | Mupane Mine, 30 kilometers southeast of Francistown | Not published | Not published |
| Nickel-copper-cobalt | BCL Ltd. (Government, 100%) | Selebi-Phikwe Mines 350 kilometers northeast of Gaborone | Not published | Not published |
| Nickel-copper-cobalt | Tati Nickel Mining Co. (Pty.) Ltd. (BCL Ltd., 100%) | Phoenix and Selkirk Mines 23 kilometers east of Francistown | Not published | Not published |
| Nickel-copper-cobalt | Cupric Canyon Capital LP (CCC) | Boseto Mine in North-West District | Not published | Not published |
| Nickel-copper-cobalt | Cradle Arc plc, 60% | Mowana Mine in Central District | Not published | Not published |
| Salt | Botswana Ash (Pty.) Ltd. (BotAsh) (Government, 50%, and Chlor Alkali Holdings, 50%) | Mine at Sua Pan near Sowa | Not published | Not published |
| Silver | Cupric Canyon Capital LP (CCC) | Boseto Mine in North-West District | Not published | kilograms |
| Soda ash | Botswana Ash (Pty.) Ltd. (BotAsh) | Mine at Sua Pan near Sowa | Not published | Not published |
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Minerals Yearbook 2019, Botswana. Last checked 24 October 2026.
What natural resources earn
Natural resource rents were 1% of GDP in 2021, with coal the largest part. That ranks Botswana 50th of 54 African countries. See all 54.
View the data as a table
| Period | Minerals | Coal | Forests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1.3 % | 0.4 % | 0.3 % |
| 2011 | 1.2 % | 0.4 % | 0.3 % |
| 2012 | 1.4 % | 0.5 % | 0.4 % |
| 2013 | 0.6 % | 0.4 % | 0.4 % |
| 2014 | 0.2 % | 0.3 % | 0.4 % |
| 2015 | 0.0 % | 0.3 % | 0.5 % |
| 2016 | 0.1 % | 0.3 % | 0.4 % |
| 2017 | 0.1 % | 0.4 % | 0.4 % |
| 2018 | 0.1 % | 0.5 % | 0.3 % |
| 2019 | 0.1 % | 0.3 % | 0.3 % |
| 2020 | 0.1 % | 0.3 % | 0.3 % |
| 2021 | 0.2 % | 0.5 % | 0.3 % |
| 2022 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 2023 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 2024 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 2025 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| 2026 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. Last checked 24 October 2026.
Forest, share of land (2024)
27.8 %
Arable land, share of land (2024)
0.5 %
Renewable fresh water per person (2022)
984 m³
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators. Last checked 24 October 2026.
Method and sources
Oil, gas and coal output and coal reserves are from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Oil and gas proved reserves are the EIA figures republished by Our World in Data; oil is converted from cubic metres to barrels at the standard factor. World production, reserves and ranks are from the U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries, ranked among the countries USGS names. The full list of commodities and the companies that mine them are from the USGS Minerals Yearbook country tables, which run a few years behind. Rents, land and water are from the World Bank, and export shares from UN Comtrade. Nothing is estimated by us. Figures last checked on 24 October 2026.
USGS country page for Botswana. EIA international energy data. World Bank resource rents.
Frequently asked questions
What natural resources does Botswana have?
Botswana's main natural resources are coal and soda ash. Gold, diamonds and precious metals made up 63.9% of its goods exports in 2024, and all resources together 84.6%. The World Bank puts natural resource rents at 1% of GDP in 2021, mostly from coal. The U.S. Geological Survey also records production of copper, gold, silver, diamond, gemstones and salt, among 7 mineral commodities.
Does Botswana produce oil?
The U.S. Energy Information Administration records no meaningful crude oil production for Botswana in 2025.
What is Botswana's most valuable natural resource?
By export earnings, gold, diamonds and precious metals: 63.9% of goods exports in 2024, according to UN Comtrade.
How much do natural resources contribute to Botswana's economy?
Natural resource rents, the value of resources extracted minus the cost of extracting them, were 1% of GDP in 2021. That ranks Botswana 50th of 54 African countries.
Which companies mine in Botswana?
The U.S. Geological Survey's 2019 list of Botswana's mineral industry names 17 operating companies, including Pretoria Portland Cement Ltd., Matsiloje Portland Cement Co., Makoro Brick and Tile, Lobatse Clay Works and Morupule Colliery. The full list is on this page.
Where does Botswana rank in world mineral production?
In 2025, Botswana ranked 3rd for soda ash (natural) among the producers the U.S. Geological Survey lists.