Botswana vs Madagascar
Madagascar and Botswana are almost exactly the same size.
BotswanaMadagascarBotswana moved onto Madagascar · Equal-area projection
0.99×
Botswana is 0.99× the area of Madagascar. Put the other way, Madagascar is 1.01× the size of Botswana.
 Botswana |  Madagascar | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 581,737 km²#47 of 194 | 587,295 km²#46 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationMadagascar: 12.8× the population | 2,562,122#141 of 194 · 2025 | 32,740,678#49 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMadagascar: 12.7× the density | 4.4 / km²#186 of 194 | 56 / km²#131 of 194 |
| Urban populationBotswana: 2.07× the urban share | 68%#81 of 192 · 2025 | 33%#164 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMadagascar: 1.45× the births per woman | 2.70 per woman#62 of 192 · 2024 | 3.91 per woman#26 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMadagascar: 0.79 points higher | +1.61%#63 of 192 · 2025 | +2.40%#26 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMadagascar: 1.3× the birth rate | 24.4 per 1,000#53 of 192 · 2024 | 31.7 per 1,000#22 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateMadagascar: 1.32× the death rate | 5.7 per 1,000#148 of 192 · 2024 | 7.5 per 1,000#86 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Madagascar: 6.9 points higher | 32.0%#58 of 192 · 2025 | 38.9%#29 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Botswana: 0.6 points higher | 4.1%#139 of 192 · 2025 | 3.5%#153 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationMadagascar: 2.1 per 1,000 higher | −2.2 per 1,000#147 of 192 · 2025 | −0.1 per 1,000#78 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBotswana: 7.5× the refugees for its size | 0.15 per 1,000#110 of 190 · 2025 | 0.02 per 1,000#145 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 mortalityMadagascar: 1.34× the infant mortality | 32.1 per 1,000 births#42 of 191 · 2024 | 43.0 per 1,000 births#21 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsBotswana: 2.24× the doctors per person | 0.38 per 1,000#133 of 178 · 2023 | 0.17 per 1,000#155 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentBotswana: 3.51× the university enrolment | 21.4%#112 of 145 · 2024 | 6.1%#139 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexBotswana: 0.244 higher | 0.731#110 of 190 · 2023 | 0.487#180 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBotswana: 13.2× the income per person | $7,390#93 of 185 · 2025 | $560#182 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPAbout the same economy | $19.93B2025 | $19.62B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Botswana: 10.6× the output per person | $20,698#91 of 184 · 2025 | $1,952#178 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthMadagascar: 3.7 points higher | −0.7%#178 of 187 · 2025 | +3.0%#102 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationMadagascar: 5.4 points higher | +2.7%#96 of 176 · 2025 | +8.1%#29 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBotswana: 8.17× the unemployment | 24.5%#4 of 178 · 2025 | 3.0%#138 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyMadagascar: 3.23× the share in extreme poverty | 21.4%#34 of 149 · 2015 | 69.2%#8 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Botswana: 18.1 higher | 54.9#2 of 149 · 2015 | 36.8#58 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureMadagascar: 51.2 points higher | 18.0% of jobs#83 of 178 · 2025 | 69.2% of jobs#5 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBotswana: 5.9 points higher | 15.8% of jobs#133 of 178 · 2025 | 9.9% of jobs#156 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBotswana: 45.3 points higher | 66.2% of jobs#66 of 178 · 2025 | 20.9% of jobs#173 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMadagascar: 7.8 points higher | -3.3% of GDP#180 of 184 · 2025 | 4.5% of GDP#41 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBotswana: 10.7 points higher | 32.0% of GDP#93 of 168 · 2025 | 21.3% of GDP#131 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingBotswana: 5.02× the military spending | 3.1% of GDP#28 of 155 · 2025 | 0.6% of GDP#136 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersBotswana: 3.07× the share online | 58%#138 of 184 · 2024 | 19%#176 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBotswana: 2.19× the mobile subscriptions | 164 per 100#17 of 191 · 2024 | 75 per 100#153 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBotswana: 1.61× the forest share | 28% of land#105 of 192 · 2024 | 17% of land#128 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBotswana: 18.3× the CO₂ per person | 2.74 t a year#87 of 185 · 2024 | 0.15 t a year#174 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyMadagascar: 55.7 points higher | 27.4%#88 of 190 · 2021 | 83.1%#9 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityBotswana: 37.7 points higher | 80.2%#148 of 192 · 2024 | 42.5%#181 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Botswana: 1.06× the air pollution | 13.2 µg/m³#133 of 191 · 2023 | 12.4 µg/m³#138 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBotswana: 14.8 points higher | 27.6% of land#45 of 191 · 2025 | 12.8% of land#133 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landMadagascar: 4.7 points higher | 0.5% of land#182 of 190 · 2024 | 5.2% of land#128 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressMadagascar: 5.14× the water stress | 2.2%#143 of 176 · 2022 | 11.3%#86 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMadagascar: 3.64× the rain and snow | 416 mm#149 of 180 · 2022 | 1,513 mm#57 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBotswana: 1.60 higher | +1.08#29 of 193 · 2025 | −0.52#142 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBotswana: 1.63 higher | +0.59#52 of 193 · 2025 | −1.04#157 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 11.4 per 100,000#25 of 146 · 2021 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Semi-presidential republic |
| Capital | Gaborone | Antananarivo |
| Currency | Botswana pula (BWP) | Ariary (MGA) |
| Official languages | English | French, Malagasy |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +267 | +261 |
| 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; Madagascar at 19° S is stretched to 1.12×. 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 Madagascar?
- No. Botswana and Madagascar are almost exactly the same size. Botswana covers 581,737 km² and Madagascar covers 587,295 km².
- How many times does Botswana fit into Madagascar?
- About 1.0 times: Madagascar has 1.01× the area of Botswana.
- Why do Botswana and Madagascar 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 Madagascar about 1.12×. 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 Madagascar?
- Madagascar: 32,740,678 people against 2,562,122. Density: Botswana 4.4 per km², Madagascar 56 per km².
- Which is richer, Botswana or Madagascar?
- By gross national income per person, Botswana: $7,390 against $560 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 13.2× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Botswana or Madagascar?
- 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 Madagascar have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Botswana: parliamentary republic; Madagascar: semi-presidential republic.