Botswana vs Kenya
Botswana and Kenya are almost exactly the same size.
BotswanaKenyaBotswana moved onto Kenya · Equal-area projection
1.0×
Botswana is 1.0× the area of Kenya.
 Botswana |  Kenya | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 581,737 km²#47 of 194 | 581,309 km²#48 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationKenya: 22.5× the population | 2,562,122#141 of 194 · 2025 | 57,532,493#26 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityKenya: 22.5× the density | 4.4 / km²#186 of 194 | 99 / km²#90 of 194 |
| Urban populationBotswana: 2.11× the urban share | 68%#81 of 192 · 2025 | 32%#165 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateKenya: 1.17× the births per woman | 2.70 per woman#62 of 192 · 2024 | 3.17 per woman#50 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthKenya: 0.32 points higher | +1.61%#63 of 192 · 2025 | +1.93%#50 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateKenya: 1.11× the birth rate | 24.4 per 1,000#53 of 192 · 2024 | 27.0 per 1,000#43 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateKenya: 1.26× the death rate | 5.7 per 1,000#148 of 192 · 2024 | 7.2 per 1,000#94 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Kenya: 4.3 points higher | 32.0%#58 of 192 · 2025 | 36.3%#45 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Botswana: 1.1 points higher | 4.1%#139 of 192 · 2025 | 3.0%#171 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationKenya: 1.7 per 1,000 higher | −2.2 per 1,000#147 of 192 · 2025 | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadKenya: 1.53× the refugees for its size | 0.15 per 1,000#110 of 190 · 2025 | 0.23 per 1,000#96 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBotswana: 5.5 years longer | 69.3 years#135 of 192 · 2024 | 63.8 years#171 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityKenya: 1.07× the infant mortality | 32.1 per 1,000 births#42 of 191 · 2024 | 34.2 per 1,000 births#37 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsBotswana: 1.31× the doctors per person | 0.38 per 1,000#133 of 178 · 2023 | 0.29 per 1,000#138 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolmentBotswana: 2.06× the university enrolment | 21.4%#112 of 145 · 2024 | 10.4%#130 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexBotswana: 0.103 higher | 0.731#110 of 190 · 2023 | 0.628#140 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBotswana: 3.36× the income per person | $7,390#93 of 185 · 2025 | $2,200#146 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPKenya: 6.82× the economy | $19.93B2025 | $135.94B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Botswana: 2.95× the output per person | $20,698#91 of 184 · 2025 | $7,016#141 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthKenya: 5.3 points higher | −0.7%#178 of 187 · 2025 | +4.6%#51 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationKenya: 1.4 points higher | +2.7%#96 of 176 · 2025 | +4.1%#52 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBotswana: 4.54× the unemployment | 24.5%#4 of 178 · 2025 | 5.4%#80 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyKenya: 2.13× the share in extreme poverty | 21.4%#34 of 149 · 2015 | 45.5%#13 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Botswana: 16.4 higher | 54.9#2 of 149 · 2015 | 38.5#47 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureKenya: 27.8 points higher | 18.0% of jobs#83 of 178 · 2025 | 45.8% of jobs#28 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBotswana: 3.3 points higher | 15.8% of jobs#133 of 178 · 2025 | 12.5% of jobs#150 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBotswana: 24.5 points higher | 66.2% of jobs#66 of 178 · 2025 | 41.7% of jobs#143 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentKenya: 4.1 points higher | -3.3% of GDP#180 of 184 · 2025 | 0.8% of GDP#137 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBotswana: 16.2 points higher | 32.0% of GDP#93 of 168 · 2025 | 15.8% of GDP#144 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingBotswana: 2.91× the military spending | 3.1% of GDP#28 of 155 · 2025 | 1.1% of GDP#108 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersBotswana: 1.64× the share online | 58%#138 of 184 · 2024 | 35%#158 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBotswana: 1.3× the mobile subscriptions | 164 per 100#17 of 191 · 2024 | 126 per 100#64 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBotswana: 4.21× the forest share | 28% of land#105 of 192 · 2024 | 7% of land#161 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBotswana: 7.21× the CO₂ per person | 2.74 t a year#87 of 185 · 2024 | 0.38 t a year#155 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyKenya: 40.3 points higher | 27.4%#88 of 190 · 2021 | 67.7%#30 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityBotswana: 3.2 points higher | 80.2%#148 of 192 · 2024 | 77.0%#151 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Kenya: 1.54× the air pollution | 13.2 µg/m³#133 of 191 · 2023 | 20.3 µg/m³#79 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBotswana: 13.7 points higher | 27.6% of land#45 of 191 · 2025 | 13.9% of land#124 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landKenya: 11.0 points higher | 0.5% of land#182 of 190 · 2024 | 11.5% of land#87 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressKenya: 15.1× the water stress | 2.2%#143 of 176 · 2022 | 33.2%#50 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationKenya: 1.51× the rain and snow | 416 mm#149 of 180 · 2022 | 630 mm#125 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBotswana: 2.20 higher | +1.08#29 of 193 · 2025 | −1.12#168 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBotswana: 1.45 higher | +0.59#52 of 193 · 2025 | −0.86#145 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateBotswana: 2.33× the homicide rate | 11.4 per 100,000#25 of 146 · 2021 | 4.9 per 100,000#49 of 146 · 2022 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Gaborone | Nairobi |
| Currency | Botswana pula (BWP) | Kenyan shilling (KES) |
| Official languages | English | English, Swahili |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +267 | +254 |
| Region | Southern Africa, Africa | Eastern Africa, Africa |
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; Kenya at 1° N is stretched to 1.0×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. 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 Kenya?
- Yes. Botswana and Kenya are almost exactly the same size. Botswana covers 581,737 km² and Kenya covers 581,309 km².
- How many times does Kenya fit into Botswana?
- About 1.0 times: Botswana has 1.0× the area of Kenya.
- Why do Botswana and Kenya 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 Kenya about 1.0×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Botswana or Kenya?
- Kenya: 57,532,493 people against 2,562,122. Density: Botswana 4.4 per km², Kenya 99 per km².
- Which is richer, Botswana or Kenya?
- By gross national income per person, Botswana: $7,390 against $2,200 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 3.36× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Botswana or Kenya?
- In Botswana: life expectancy at birth is 69.3 years, against 63.8 — 5.5 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Botswana and Kenya have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Botswana: parliamentary republic; Kenya: presidential republic.