Botswana Population 2023 (Live)

Botswana is predicated to have a population of 2.206 million by the year 2020.

Population History and Projections

In 1950, the Botswana population was reported to be just over 400,000. By 1975 that population had doubled to over 800,000. In the year 2000, the population reached over 1,700,000. This explosive growth was consistently measured at over 2% yearly growth over this period of time, only beginning to decline in the 2000s, with a growth rate of only 1.95%.

This growth rate dropped to 1.43% at one point but has been maintaining a rate of approximately 1.8% for many recent years.

The projected population is estimated to reach over 3 million by 2040 when the growth rate is predicted to drop to a rate under 1%.

Population Density and Surface Area

Botswana is one of the world's most sparsely populated countries. Botswana has a population density of just 3 people per square kilometer (9 people per square mile), which ranks 231st in the world. Only 12 sovereign states and dependent territories have a lower density, including Mongolia, the Falkland Islands, and Iceland. The population has a total of 582,730 square kilometers of area available, giving it a ranking of 47th in the world for sheer area size.

The Republic of Botswana is an African country located toward the southern tip of Africa. More than 70% of this flat country is made up of the Kalahari Desert. It's bordered by Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa and shares very short borders with Zambia and Kazungula.

Capital and Urbanization Rate

Gaborone is the largest city in Botswana, and also the capital. The population in Gaborone is approximately 232,000. More than 10% of the population lives in the capital. The majority of the population in Botswana lives within 100 kilometers of Gaborone. In Botswana, 61% of the population has urbanized, and the current urbanization rate is 2.3%.

Botswana Demographics

The religious affiliations in Botswana are primarily spread across 3 different groups. Roman Catholic Diocese has a strong influence, particularly in the lower half of the country. In Gaborone there is a significant Hindu following, and a Hindu temple of worship is available in the capital city. Those of the Muslim faith also have access to several mosques serving the communities around Botswana.

79% of the population is indigenous Botswana and are known as Tswana. Major minority ethnic groups include the Kalanga and the San. There are about 10,000 San who still live the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Botswana's government has been criticized for attempting to remove the San from the country.

Only 3% of the population identify as white Africans. Botswana has a sizable Indian population of Indian-Africans of many generations who came from South Africa, Mauritius, Kenya and elsewhere. The country also has tens of thousands of Zimbabweans who came seeking better economic conditions.

The median age in Botswana is reported to be at 24.5 years of age in 2018, with a total life expectancy of approximately 63.3 years. The birthrate in the same year is at 22.1 births per 1,000 population, with a competing death rate of approximately 9 individuals passing away per 1,000 population.

Health Threats

While Botswana has the highest Human Development Index among continental Sub-Saharan African countries, it is one of the hardest hit in the world by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. About 25% of Botswana's population is estimated to be infected. Botswana has the third highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in the world as of 2018.

Quality of Life in Botswana

In 2018, Botswana makes a ranking of 146, leaving only 10 states with lesser ratings in this report. The overall happiness rating is based on a zero to ten point scale, with a score of merely 3.590. The report takes a variety of scored factors into consideration for the ranking. A total of six indicators are factored in, including GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and perceptions of corruption.