Botswana
Country in Africa
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 2.6M (2025). World rank 143 of 216; in Africa, 44 of 54. Area: 582,000 km². World rank 48 of 249; in Africa, 22 of 59. Life expectancy: 69.3 years (2024). World rank 157 of 216 (1 = best); in Africa, 10 of 54. From 2015 to 2025: population 2.2M → 2.6M, GDP $13.5B → $19.9B, and GDP per person $6,141 → $7,778. Better than all its neighbours (Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe): life expectancy and GDP per person.
State
- Official name
- Republic of Botswana
- Local name
- Botswana
- Capital
- Gaborone
- Region
- Africa
- Form of government
- Parliamentary republic
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Duma Boko
- Independence
- September 30, 1966
- Women in parliament
- 9% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 2,562,122 2025
- Area
- 582,000 km²
- GDP
- $19.9B 2025
- GDP per person
- $7,778 2025
- Life expectancy
- 69.3 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- English, Tswana
- Currency
- Botswanan Pula (BWP)
- Time zones
- UTC+2
- Calling code
- +267
- Emergency numbers
- 911, 997, 998, 999
- Driving side
- Left
- Plug types
- D, G
- Mains voltage
- 230 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Landlocked
- Coastline, km
- 0
- Neighbours
- Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
- Agricultural land
- 45.6% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Otse Hill, 1,495 m
- Lowest point
- Limpopo River, 513 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 1,013
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 21
- Warmest month in the capital
- January, 26°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- July, 13°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 416 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 4.4 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- +1.6% 2025
- Living in cities
- 68% 2025
- Net migration per year
- -5.7K 2025
- Born in another country
- 4.6% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 32% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 64% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 4.1% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 71.9 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 66.8 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 2.7 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 24.4 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 5.7 2024
Society
- Religions
- Christian 79.1%, no religion 15.2%, folk religions 4.1%, and other 1.4% (2011)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 63.3 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 59.9 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 61.2 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 61.6 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 65 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $20,698 2025
- GDP growth per year
- -0.7% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- Upper-middle income
- Gross national income per person
- $7,390 2025
- Inflation
- +2.7% 2025
- Price level, USA = 100
- 38 2025
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 1.8% 2025
- Industry, share of GDP
- 27.9% 2025
- Services, share of GDP
- 64.6% 2025
- Unemployment
- 24.5% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 46% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 63.7% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 32% 2025
- Imports, share of GDP
- 37.5% 2025
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- +2.9% 2025
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- -3.3% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 0.8% 2025
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 22.4% 2023
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 54.9 2015
- Living on under $3 a day
- 21.4% 2015
Education
- Adult literacy
- 81.2% 2003
- Primary school enrolment
- 109% 2022
- Secondary school enrolment
- 70.6% 2021
- Higher education enrolment
- 21.4% 2024
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 8.1% 2020
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 6.3% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $490 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 4.3% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 0.4 2023
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 3 2023
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 2.4 2022
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 97% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 32.1 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 33.3 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 155 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 15.7% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 4.6% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 42% 2022
- Adults who use tobacco
- 18% 2024
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 91.8% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 72.1% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 71% 2024
Safety
- Homicides per 100,000 people
- 11.4 2021
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 26.4 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 8.4 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 84.5 2025
- Natural hazards
- droughts
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 13.2 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 2.7 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 4.8 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 27.8% 2024
- Protected areas
- 27.6% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 984 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 2.2% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 57.5% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 164 2024
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 7.4 2024
- Internet domain
- .bw
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 80.2% 2024
- Electricity use, kWh per person
- 1,660 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 27.4% 2021
- Electricity from renewables
- 0.3% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 99.1% 2024
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 172,720 2023
- Airports
- 122 2025
- Railways, km
- 888 2014
Science and innovation
- Research spending, share of GDP
- 0.6% 2013
- Researchers per million people
- 180 2013
- Scientific articles per year
- 384 2023
- Patent applications by residents
- 10 2023
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 0.5% 2023