Botswana vs Namibia
Namibia is 42% larger than Botswana.
BotswanaNamibiaBotswana moved onto Namibia · Equal-area projection
0.7×
Botswana is 0.7× the area of Namibia. Put the other way, Namibia is 1.42× the size of Botswana.
 Botswana |  Namibia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaNamibia: 1.42× the area | 581,737 km²#47 of 194 | 825,615 km²#34 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationNamibia: 1.21× the population | 2,562,122#141 of 194 · 2025 | 3,092,816#134 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBotswana: 1.18× the density | 4.4 / km²#186 of 194 | 3.7 / km²#192 of 194 |
| Urban populationBotswana: 1.34× the urban share | 68%#81 of 192 · 2025 | 51%#131 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateNamibia: 1.19× the births per woman | 2.70 per woman#62 of 192 · 2024 | 3.21 per woman#49 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthNamibia: 0.44 points higher | +1.61%#63 of 192 · 2025 | +2.05%#45 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateNamibia: 1.06× the birth rate | 24.4 per 1,000#53 of 192 · 2024 | 25.9 per 1,000#45 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateNamibia: 1.09× the death rate | 5.7 per 1,000#148 of 192 · 2024 | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Namibia: 4.7 points higher | 32.0%#58 of 192 · 2025 | 36.7%#43 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Botswana: 0.3 points higher | 4.1%#139 of 192 · 2025 | 3.8%#146 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNamibia: 2.8 per 1,000 higher | −2.2 per 1,000#147 of 192 · 2025 | +0.6 per 1,000#55 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadNamibia: 1.47× the refugees for its size | 0.15 per 1,000#110 of 190 · 2025 | 0.22 per 1,000#99 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBotswana: 1.8 years longer | 69.3 years#135 of 192 · 2024 | 67.5 years#148 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityNamibia: 1.13× the infant mortality | 32.1 per 1,000 births#42 of 191 · 2024 | 36.4 per 1,000 births#30 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsNamibia: 1.45× the doctors per person | 0.38 per 1,000#133 of 178 · 2023 | 0.55 per 1,000#124 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentNamibia: 1.22× the university enrolment | 21.4%#112 of 145 · 2024 | 26.1%#105 of 145 · 2022 |
| Human Development IndexBotswana: 0.066 higher | 0.731#110 of 190 · 2023 | 0.665#133 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBotswana: 1.7× the income per person | $7,390#93 of 185 · 2025 | $4,340#122 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPBotswana: 1.32× the economy | $19.93B2025 | $15.08B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Botswana: 1.73× the output per person | $20,698#91 of 184 · 2025 | $11,986#121 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthNamibia: 2.4 points higher | −0.7%#178 of 187 · 2025 | +1.7%#141 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationNamibia: 0.8 points higher | +2.7%#96 of 176 · 2025 | +3.5%#75 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBotswana: 1.27× the unemployment | 24.5%#4 of 178 · 2025 | 19.3%#7 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyNamibia: 1.07× the share in extreme poverty | 21.4%#34 of 149 · 2015 | 22.9%#32 of 149 · 2015 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Namibia: 4.2 higher | 54.9#2 of 149 · 2015 | 59.1#1 of 149 · 2015 |
| Jobs in agricultureNamibia: 4.3 points higher | 18.0% of jobs#83 of 178 · 2025 | 22.3% of jobs#79 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryNamibia: 0.7 points higher | 15.8% of jobs#133 of 178 · 2025 | 16.5% of jobs#124 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBotswana: 5.1 points higher | 66.2% of jobs#66 of 178 · 2025 | 61.1% of jobs#80 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentNamibia: 12.9 points higher | -3.3% of GDP#180 of 184 · 2025 | 9.6% of GDP#19 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsNamibia: 12.7 points higher | 32.0% of GDP#93 of 168 · 2025 | 44.7% of GDP#56 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingBotswana: 1.12× the military spending | 3.1% of GDP#28 of 155 · 2025 | 2.8% of GDP#35 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersNamibia: 1.13× the share online | 58%#138 of 184 · 2024 | 65%#130 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBotswana: 1.93× the mobile subscriptions | 164 per 100#17 of 191 · 2024 | 85 per 100#146 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBotswana: 2.84× the forest share | 28% of land#105 of 192 · 2024 | 10% of land#155 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBotswana: 2.28× the CO₂ per person | 2.74 t a year#87 of 185 · 2024 | 1.20 t a year#123 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyNamibia: 2.6 points higher | 27.4%#88 of 190 · 2021 | 30.0%#80 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityBotswana: 20.9 points higher | 80.2%#148 of 192 · 2024 | 59.3%#165 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Namibia: 1.08× the air pollution | 13.2 µg/m³#133 of 191 · 2023 | 14.2 µg/m³#123 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landNamibia: 12.3 points higher | 27.6% of land#45 of 191 · 2025 | 39.9% of land#9 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landNamibia: 0.5 points higher | 0.5% of land#182 of 190 · 2024 | 1.0% of land#171 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBotswana: 7.33× the water stress | 2.2%#143 of 176 · 2022 | 0.3%#168 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationBotswana: 1.46× the rain and snow | 416 mm#149 of 180 · 2022 | 285 mm#154 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBotswana: 0.34 higher | +1.08#29 of 193 · 2025 | +0.74#55 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBotswana: 0.44 higher | +0.59#52 of 193 · 2025 | +0.15#73 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateAbout the same homicide rate | 11.4 per 100,000#25 of 146 · 2021 | 11.2 per 100,000#27 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Gaborone | Windhoek |
| Currency | Botswana pula (BWP) | South African rand (ZAR), Namibian dollar (NAD) |
| Official languages | English | English |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +267 | +264 |
| Region | Southern Africa, Africa | Southern 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; Namibia at 22° S is stretched to 1.16×. 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 Namibia?
- No. Botswana is 30% smaller than Namibia. Botswana covers 581,737 km² and Namibia covers 825,615 km².
- How many times does Botswana fit into Namibia?
- About 1.4 times: Namibia has 1.42× the area of Botswana.
- Why do Botswana and Namibia 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 Namibia about 1.16×. 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 Namibia?
- Namibia: 3,092,816 people against 2,562,122. Density: Botswana 4.4 per km², Namibia 3.7 per km².
- Which is richer, Botswana or Namibia?
- By gross national income per person, Botswana: $7,390 against $4,340 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.7× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Botswana or Namibia?
- In Botswana: life expectancy at birth is 69.3 years, against 67.5 — 1.8 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Botswana and Namibia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Botswana: parliamentary republic; Namibia: presidential republic.