placestats

Last European coloniser: United Kingdom · Largest religious group: Christians. These are labels that describe the country, not numbers, so they are never compared with other measures. The numbers behind them, such as population shares, are.

Botswana

Against upper middle income countries, Botswana ranks 6th of 51 on governance and 53rd of 53 on equality. Each ranking counts only the countries that report that score, so the totals differ and the two ranks can’t be compared directly. Both compare Botswana with countries of similar wealth. That is the only kind of ranking that tells you something a ranking by income does not already show.

How it has changed

Every measure Botswana reports, over all the years it has been published. Pick one. Hover or use the arrow keys to read a year. Gaps in a line are years with no data. They are left open, not filled in.

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Scores by area

Each score averages the measures in one area, such as health. Each measure is first put on a common scale and turned so that higher is always better. Zero is the average country in an average year. One point is a typical gap between countries (a standard deviation), so +1 means about one typical gap above average. These are summaries, not measurements. See how the country scores are built and how the topic scores compare with each other.

ScoreValueRank, all countriesRank, similar incomeMostly income?
Governance score 2025+0.8748 of 1796 of 51moderate +0.53
Health score 2024-0.20133 of 19334 of 58moderate +0.32
Education score 2022+0.47117 of 19943 of 57proxy +0.81
Equality score 2015-1.27151 of 16553 of 53high +0.64
Infrastructure score 2024+0.50149 of 21052 of 58proxy +0.90
Gender score 2024+0.25112 of 18632 of 57moderate +0.37
Environment score 2024+0.2865 of 2138 of 58moderate -0.33
Labour score 2025-1.12185 of 19555 of 56high +0.79

The last column shows how closely each score just tracks national income. The number is its link with GDP per person (the value of everything a country produces, divided by its people), from −1 to +1. A score marked proxy is mostly a measure of how rich the country is. Its rank among all countries says little that GDP per person does not. That is why the rank among similar-income countries sits beside it.

The measures behind them

Every measure reported for Botswana, grouped by area. Some measures have no agreed better direction, such as population growth, inflation and military spending. They are listed here but left out of every score, since there is no fair way to say which way is better. Some names use technical terms: PPP means adjusted for what money buys in each country, HDI is a United Nations score combining life expectancy, schooling and income, and a Gini indexmeasures how unequally income is shared. Each measure’s own page explains it.

crime

Conflict deaths0per 100,000 people2025higher is worse
Armed conflict present01 if any conflict, else 02025higher is worse
Homicide rate11.4per 100,000 population2021higher is worse

culture

Religiously unaffiliated14.7%% of population2020no agreed direction
Christian share82.3%% of population2020no agreed direction
Muslim share0.33%% of population2020no agreed direction
Women in a union41.5%% of women aged 15-492017no agreed direction

demography

Median age22.9years2023no agreed direction
Age at childbearing28.7years2023no agreed direction
Population2,562,122people2025no agreed direction
Population growth1.61%% per year2025no agreed direction
Urbanization68%% of population2025no agreed direction
Population 65+4.08%% of population2025no agreed direction
Population 0-1432%% of population2025no agreed direction
Fertility rate2.7births per woman2024no agreed direction
Birth rate24.4per 1,000 people2024no agreed direction
Net migration-5,665people2025no agreed direction
Migrant share of population4.6%% of population2024no agreed direction

economy

Corporate tax rate22%% of profit2018no agreed direction
HDI0.731index, 0 to 12023higher is better
Inequality-adjusted HDI0.509index, 0 to 12023higher is better
GDP per capita (PPP)$17,687international $2025higher is better
GNI per capita (PPP)$17,803international $2024higher is better
GDP per capita (market)$6,791US$2025higher is better
GDP growth-0.734%% per year2025no agreed direction
Inflation2.66%% per year2025no agreed direction
Trade openness69.5%% of GDP2025no agreed direction
FDI inflows2.42%% of GDP2024no agreed direction
Tax revenue22.4%% of GDP2023no agreed direction
Government consumption31.5%% of GDP2025no agreed direction
Government expense26.5%% of GDP2024no agreed direction
Military spending2.83%% of GDP2024no agreed direction
Employment in agriculture18%% of employment2025no agreed direction

education

Primary completion99%% of children2025higher is better
Expected schooling11.4years2023higher is better
Mean years of schooling10.5years2023higher is better
Education spending8.06%% of GDP2020no agreed direction
Primary enrollment109%% gross2022higher is better
Secondary enrollment70.6%% gross2021higher is better
Tertiary enrollment21.4%% gross2024higher is better
Out of school, primary0.535%% of primary-age children2022higher is worse
Pupil-teacher ratio23.7pupils per teacher2015higher is worse
Researchers180per million people2013higher is better

environment

CO2 per capita2.74t CO2e per capita2024higher is worse
Forest area26.3%% of land area2023higher is better
Agricultural land45.6%% of land area2023no agreed direction
Protected land27.6%% of land area2025higher is better

gender

Gender Inequality Index0.49index, 0 to 12023higher is worse
Gender Development Index0.997ratio of women's HDI to men's2023no agreed direction
Women's political empowerment0.699index (0-1)2025higher is better
Women ministers16.7%% of ministers2024higher is better
Women in parliament8.96%% of seats2025higher is better
Women in management48.2%% of managers2024higher is better

governance

Corruption Perceptions Index57index (0-100, higher = cleaner)2024higher is better
Political rights (FH)2rating (1-7, 1 = most free)2025higher is worse
Civil liberties (FH)2rating (1-7, 1 = most free)2025higher is worse
Pre-trial detainee share22.5%% of prisoners2021higher is worse
Refugees originating9.88per 100,000 people2024higher is worse
Electoral democracy0.665index (0-1)2025higher is better
Liberal democracy0.52index (0-1)2025higher is better
Participatory democracy0.369index (0-1)2025higher is better
Free and fair elections0.803index (0-1)2025higher is better
Regime type2regime category (0-3)2025higher is better
Political corruption0.204index (0-1)2025higher is worse
Freedom of expression0.798index (0-1)2025higher is better
Freedom of association0.85index (0-1)2025higher is better
Political civil liberties0.843index (0-1)2025higher is better
Civil society participation0.856index (0-1)2025higher is better
Birth registration87.5%% of children under 52017higher is better
Control of corruption0.631index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Rule of law0.312index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Government effectiveness0.417index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Regulatory quality0.402index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Voice and accountability0.295index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better
Political stability1.03index (approx. -2.5 to 2.5)2024higher is better

health

Life expectancy69.3years2024higher is better
Infant mortality32.1per 1,000 live births2024higher is worse
Under-5 mortality33.3per 1,000 live births2024higher is worse
Health spending6.26%% of GDP2023no agreed direction
Suicide rate8.35per 100,0002021higher is worse
Hospital beds2.36per 1,000 people2022no agreed direction
Basic water access91.8%% of population2024higher is better
Basic sanitation72.1%% of population2024higher is better
Child stunting21%% of children under 52024higher is worse
Adolescent fertility53.5births per 1,000 women aged 15-192024higher is worse
Maternal mortality155per 100,000 live births2023higher is worse
Skilled birth attendance99.8%% of births2017higher is better
Alcohol consumption7.27litres per adult per year2020no agreed direction
Tobacco use18%% of adults2024higher is worse
Road traffic deaths26.4per 100,000 population2019higher is worse
Physicians0.379per 1,000 people2023higher is better
DTP3 immunisation95%% of children aged 12-23 months2024higher is better
HIV prevalence15.7%% of adults aged 15-492024higher is worse
Tuberculosis incidence143per 100,000 people2024higher is worse
Premature NCD mortality19%% probability, ages 30-702021higher is worse
Anaemia in women30.9%% of women aged 15-492023higher is worse
Out-of-pocket health spending4.26%% of health spending2023higher is worse
Undernourishment24%% of population2023higher is worse
Food insecurity53.9%% of population2023higher is worse
Adult obesity19.8%% of adults2024higher is worse
Health coverage index60index, 0 to 1002023higher is better

inequality

Gini index54.9index (0-100)2015higher is worse
Extreme poverty rate21.4%% of population2015higher is worse

infrastructure

Internet users57.5%% of population2024higher is better
Mobile subscriptions164per 100 people2024higher is better
Electricity access80.2%% of population2024higher is better
Slum share of urban population39.6%% of urban population2022higher is worse
Fixed broadband7.44per 100 people2024higher is better

labor

Informal employment75.6%% of employment2024higher is worse
Unemployment24.5%% of labor force2025higher is worse
Female labor participation63.7%% of women 15+2025no agreed direction
Male labor participation74%% of men 15+2025no agreed direction
Youth not in work or study38%% of 15 to 24 year olds2024higher is worse
Vulnerable employment25.6%% of employment2025higher is worse

wellbeing

Life satisfaction3.46score (0-10)2025higher is better

Values are the most recent in 2010–2025, and different measures can come from different years. The year is shown beside each. Nothing here ranks countries by merit. An area score averages whatever measures its publishers happen to collect, and the choice of what to collect is itself a judgement made by someone else. All countries · How the country data works

Countries to compare with Botswana

Also in Sub-Saharan Africa: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Dem. Rep., Congo, Rep., Cote d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, The, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Fed. Rep., South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Also upper middle income, in other regions: Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, China, Colombia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, Georgia, Grenada, Guatemala, Indonesia, Iran, Islamic Rep., Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Micronesia, Fed. Sts., Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, and more on the full list of countries.