Botswana vs France
France is 11% larger than Botswana.
BotswanaFranceBotswana moved onto France · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.9×
Botswana is 0.9× the area of France. Put the other way, France is 1.11× the size of Botswana.
 Botswana |  France | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaFrance: 1.11× the area | 581,737 km²#47 of 194 | 643,801 km²#42 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 10 |
| People | ||
| PopulationFrance: 26.8× the population | 2,562,122#141 of 194 · 2025 | 68,720,337#23 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityFrance: 24.2× the density | 4.4 / km²#186 of 194 | 107 / km²#83 of 194 |
| Urban populationFrance: 1.16× the urban share | 68%#81 of 192 · 2025 | 79%#49 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBotswana: 1.68× the births per woman | 2.70 per woman#62 of 192 · 2024 | 1.61 per woman#123 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBotswana: 1.36 points higher | +1.61%#63 of 192 · 2025 | +0.25%#147 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBotswana: 2.52× the birth rate | 24.4 per 1,000#53 of 192 · 2024 | 9.7 per 1,000#147 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateFrance: 1.65× the death rate | 5.7 per 1,000#148 of 192 · 2024 | 9.4 per 1,000#48 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Botswana: 15.8 points higher | 32.0%#58 of 192 · 2025 | 16.2%#148 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65France: 18.4 points higher | 4.1%#139 of 192 · 2025 | 22.5%#12 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationFrance: 3.5 per 1,000 higher | −2.2 per 1,000#147 of 192 · 2025 | +1.3 per 1,000#44 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 0.15 per 1,000#110 of 190 · 2025 | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyFrance: 13.7 years longer | 69.3 years#135 of 192 · 2024 | 83.0 years#18 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBotswana: 9.44× the infant mortality | 32.1 per 1,000 births#42 of 191 · 2024 | 3.4 per 1,000 births#159 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsFrance: 8.63× the doctors per person | 0.38 per 1,000#133 of 178 · 2023 | 3.28 per 1,000#54 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentFrance: 3.34× the university enrolment | 21.4%#112 of 145 · 2024 | 71.5%#43 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexFrance: 0.189 higher | 0.731#110 of 190 · 2023 | 0.920#25 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaFrance: 6.58× the income per person | $7,390#93 of 185 · 2025 | $48,630#23 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPFrance: 169× the economy | $19.93B2025 | $3.37T2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)France: 3.09× the output per person | $20,698#91 of 184 · 2025 | $63,975#28 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthFrance: 1.5 points higher | −0.7%#178 of 187 · 2025 | +0.8%#160 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBotswana: 1.8 points higher | +2.7%#96 of 176 · 2025 | +0.9%#144 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBotswana: 3.27× the unemployment | 24.5%#4 of 178 · 2025 | 7.5%#53 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyBotswana: 214× the share in extreme poverty | 21.4%#34 of 149 · 2015 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Botswana: 23.1 higher | 54.9#2 of 149 · 2015 | 31.8#104 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureBotswana: 15.7 points higher | 18.0% of jobs#83 of 178 · 2025 | 2.3% of jobs#154 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryFrance: 3.5 points higher | 15.8% of jobs#133 of 178 · 2025 | 19.3% of jobs#85 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesFrance: 12.1 points higher | 66.2% of jobs#66 of 178 · 2025 | 78.3% of jobs#20 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentFrance: 5.1 points higher | -3.3% of GDP#180 of 184 · 2025 | 1.8% of GDP#100 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsFrance: 1.4 points higher | 32.0% of GDP#93 of 168 · 2025 | 33.4% of GDP#89 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingBotswana: 1.53× the military spending | 3.1% of GDP#28 of 155 · 2025 | 2.0% of GDP#59 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersFrance: 1.54× the share online | 58%#138 of 184 · 2024 | 89%#64 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBotswana: 1.4× the mobile subscriptions | 164 per 100#17 of 191 · 2024 | 117 per 100#91 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaFrance: 1.18× the forest share | 28% of land#105 of 192 · 2024 | 33% of land#96 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personFrance: 1.46× the CO₂ per person | 2.74 t a year#87 of 185 · 2024 | 4.00 t a year#61 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBotswana: 11.2 points higher | 27.4%#88 of 190 · 2021 | 16.2%#118 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityFrance: 19.8 points higher | 80.2%#148 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Botswana: 1.61× the air pollution | 13.2 µg/m³#133 of 191 · 2023 | 8.2 µg/m³#168 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landFrance: 1.2 points higher | 27.6% of land#45 of 191 · 2025 | 28.8% of land#40 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landFrance: 30.8 points higher | 0.5% of land#182 of 190 · 2024 | 31.3% of land#26 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressFrance: 9.73× the water stress | 2.2%#143 of 176 · 2022 | 21.4%#66 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationFrance: 2.08× the rain and snow | 416 mm#149 of 180 · 2022 | 867 mm#99 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBotswana: 1.17 higher | +1.08#29 of 193 · 2025 | −0.09#110 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionFrance: 0.65 higher | +0.59#52 of 193 · 2025 | +1.24#23 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateBotswana: 8.77× the homicide rate | 11.4 per 100,000#25 of 146 · 2021 | 1.3 per 100,000#92 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Semi-presidential republic |
| Member of | — | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Gaborone | Paris |
| Currency | Botswana pula (BWP) | Euro (EUR), CFP Franc (XPF) |
| Official languages | English | French |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +267 | +33 |
| Region | Southern Africa, Africa | Western Europe, Europe |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Botswana sits at about 22° S and is stretched to 1.17× its true area; France at 43° N is stretched to 1.87×. That difference is why France looks so much bigger than it is next to Botswana. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Botswana bigger than France?
- No. Botswana is 10% smaller than France. Botswana covers 581,737 km² and France covers 643,801 km².
- How many times does Botswana fit into France?
- About 1.1 times: France has 1.11× the area of Botswana.
- Why do Botswana and France look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Botswana is drawn about 1.17× its true area there and France about 1.87×. That is why France looks so much bigger than it really is next to Botswana. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Botswana or France?
- France: 68,720,337 people against 2,562,122. Density: Botswana 4.4 per km², France 107 per km².
- Which is richer, Botswana or France?
- By gross national income per person, France: $48,630 against $7,390 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 6.58× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Botswana or France?
- In France: life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years, against 69.3 — 13.7 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Botswana and France have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Botswana: parliamentary republic; France: semi-presidential republic.