Inside the bittersweet “record” economic growth figures

Cynics of economic growth figures frequently cite the quote made famous by US literary legend Mark Twain: “'There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics”.

When Statistics Botswana recently announced that the local economy had expanded by 11.4% last year, the fastest growth since 1989, many cynics felt the data agency was either fiddling with the numbers or conveniently ignoring the troubles ordinary Batswana have been experiencing in recent years.