Africa · Southern Africa · Sovereign state
Current time in Botswana
A single time zone at UTC+02:00.
Thursday, October 15, 2026
About Botswana's time
A single time zone.
Botswana keeps things simple with a single timezone — Central Africa Time (UTC+2) — and does not observe daylight saving time.
Major cities
Cities of Botswana.
History
How Botswana keeps time.
Botswana, then the Bechuanaland Protectorate, used UTC+01:30 from 1885 and moved to UTC+02:00 in March 1903, the offset it still uses. Apart from a wartime summer-time period in 1943–44, it has not changed its clocks, and it has kept Central Africa Time without daylight saving time since independence in 1966. The timezone has been stable and unchanging for the country's entire modern history.
Did you know?
Things about Botswana's time.
Botswana shares Central Africa Time with a cluster of neighbors including South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, making cross-border coordination straightforward across much of the region. Botswana stretches from roughly 20°E to 29°E longitude, so solar noon comes about 35 minutes later by the clock in the far west than on the eastern border, yet the whole country runs on a single offset. For the most part though, life in Gaborone and the rest of the country follows a schedule that feels well matched to local solar time.
Convert
Botswana to the world's clocks.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Botswana's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- What time zone is Botswana in?
- Botswana uses Central Africa Time (CAT), which is UTC+2, year-round.
- Does Botswana observe daylight saving time?
- No. Botswana stays on UTC+2 all year and has not used daylight saving time since a wartime period in 1943–44.
- What time is it in Botswana compared to the UK?
- Botswana is two hours ahead of the UK during British winter (GMT). During British Summer Time (BST), the UK moves to UTC+1, so Botswana is only one hour ahead.
- Is Botswana in the same time zone as South Africa?
- Yes. Botswana, South Africa, and several other Southern African countries all use UTC+2 and do not observe daylight saving, so they stay perfectly synchronized year-round.
- How many time zones does Botswana have?
- Just one — the entire country runs on Central Africa Time (UTC+2), despite being roughly 900 km wide from east to west.
- What UTC offset does Gaborone use?
- Gaborone (central reference for Botswana) uses UTC+2 all year under the CAT designation.
Source: IANA tzdb2026d · Reviewed
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