Botswana at its true size
Botswana covers 581,737 km², number 47 of 194 countries by area. Home to 2,562,122 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 581,737 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 2,562,122 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 4.4 per km² |
| Capital | Gaborone |
| Local time in Gaborone | |
| Time zone | UTC+2 IANA |
| Currency | Botswana pula (BWP) Wikidata |
| Languages | English |
| Traffic | On the left |
| Region | Southern Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Landlocked |
| Calling code | +267 |
| Codes | BW · BWA · 072 |
Weather in Gaborone now
Now
—Loading the forecast…
The next three days
Weather data: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), updated hourly · Temperatures on the map
Where Botswana ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#141 of 1942.6 million people#44 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#186 of 1944.4 people per km²#52 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#81 of 19268% urban#10 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#62 of 1922.70 births per woman#45 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#63 of 192+1.61% a year#42 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#53 of 19224.4 births per 1,000 people#42 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#148 of 1925.7 deaths per 1,000 people#43 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#58 of 19232.0% under 15#44 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#139 of 1924.1% aged 65 and over#14 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#147 of 192−2.2 per 1,000 people#43 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#110 of 1900.15 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#43 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
- Life expectancy#135 of 19269.3 years#10 of 54 in Africa
- Infant mortality#42 of 19132.1 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#34 of 54 in Africa
- Doctors#133 of 1780.38 doctors per 1,000 people#14 of 51 in Africa
- University enrolment#112 of 14521.4% gross enrolment#8 of 29 in Africa
- Human Development Index#110 of 190an index of 0.731#8 of 54 in Africa
Economy
- GNI per capita#93 of 185$7,390 a person#4 of 52 in Africa
- Internet users#138 of 18458% online#18 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#91 of 184$20,698 a person#4 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#178 of 187−0.7% a year#51 of 52 in Africa
- Inflation#96 of 176+2.7% a year#32 of 50 in Africa
- Unemployment#4 of 17824.5% of the labour force#4 of 53 in Africa
- Extreme poverty#34 of 14921.4% under $3.00 a day#33 of 47 in Africa
- Income inequality (Gini)#2 of 149a Gini index of 54.9#2 of 47 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#83 of 17818.0% of jobs#43 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#133 of 17815.8% of jobs#24 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#66 of 17866.2% of jobs#6 of 53 in Africa
- Foreign investment#180 of 184-3.3% of GDP#52 of 52 in Africa
- Exports#93 of 16832.0% of GDP#22 of 49 in Africa
- Military spending#28 of 1553.1% of GDP#9 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#17 of 191164 subscriptions per 100 people#5 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#87 of 1852.74 tonnes a person#6 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#105 of 19228% forest#20 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#88 of 19027.4% renewable#42 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#148 of 19280.2% with electricity#14 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#133 of 19113.2 µg/m³#51 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#45 of 19127.6% of the land protected#13 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#182 of 1900.5% of the land arable#51 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#143 of 1762.2% of its available fresh water#36 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#149 of 180416 mm a year#39 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Botswana’s area, lit up on the map →
- Kenya1.0×Botswana and Kenya are almost exactly the same size.
- Madagascar0.99×Botswana and Madagascar are almost exactly the same size.
- Ukraine0.96×Botswana is 4% smaller than Ukraine.
- Central African Republic0.93×Botswana is 7% smaller than Central African Republic.
- Somalia0.91×Botswana is 9% smaller than Somalia.
- France0.9×Botswana is 10% smaller than France.
How many times does Botswana fit into…
- Russia: about 29 times
- Canada: about 17 times
- United States: about 17 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Botswana shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Limpopo1,750 km
- Okavango1,600 km
Summits
- Monalanong Hill1,494 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Botswana. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Botswana
- How big is Botswana?
- Botswana covers 581,737 km², which makes it number 47 of 194 countries by area. About 2,562,122 people live there (2025), 4.4 per km².
- Is Botswana bigger than Kenya?
- Botswana and Kenya are almost exactly the same size. Botswana: 581,737 km²; Kenya: 581,309 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Botswana?
- Botswana lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Botswana?
- Botswana shares a land border with South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe.