Botswana

Southern Africa

Botswana

Botswana hosts long-term refugees and asylum-seekers, primarily in Dukwi camp, where UNHCR supports protection, livelihoods, and the rollout of cash assistance to enhance self-reliance and inclusion.

Office contact details ↓

Botswana. Refugees receive donations of new clothing from UNIQLO.

Are you a refugee, asylum-seeker or stateless person looking for help? Visit the HELP site to find support and services from UNHCR.

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Key statistics

919

people are estimated to be forcibly displaced and in the country as of end 2024

826

people are identified as registered refugees in the country by the end of 2024

$33 million

are needed this year to ensure operations covered by the South Africa multi-country office* are sustained

Find more data here

*UNHCR’s operations in Botswana are managed by the South Africa multi-country office, which also oversees operations in the Comoros, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Namibia, Seychelles, and South Africa, with needs budgeted jointly.

In Botswana, 760 refugees and asylum-seekers live in the Dukwi Refugee camp located some 580 km from the capital Gaborone, managed by Botswana’s Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security and supported by three UNHCR protection staff.

A small number of the caseload is resident in the urban areas of Gaborone and Botswana’s second-largest city, Francistown. Although many Zimbabweans returned voluntarily from Botswana last year, there has been a gradual increase in the population since April 2021 due to new arrivals – including onward movers - from the African Great Lakes region.

In Namibia and Botswana, UNHCR worked with government counterparts on verification exercises for the 5,669 and 1,055 refugees and asylum-seekers in the respective countries to streamline population figures and ensure that refugees and asylum-seekers are correctly documented.

Interest in voluntary repatriation is growing, and UNHCR has supported 394 people to return safely to their countries of origin from Botswana and South Africa since the start of the year. Ending statelessness, enhancing the protection environment, and strengthening partnerships are also priorities in the region.