Botswana vs Russia
Russia is 29.4 times larger than Botswana. Botswana would fit into Russia about 29 times.
BotswanaRussiaBotswana moved onto Russia · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.03×
Botswana is 0.03× the area of Russia. Put the other way, Russia is 29.4× the size of Botswana.
 Botswana |  Russia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaRussia: 29.4× the area | 581,737 km²#47 of 194 | 17,075,400 km²#1 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 14 |
| People | ||
| PopulationRussia: 56× the population | 2,562,122#141 of 194 · 2025 | 143,513,328#9 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityRussia: 1.91× the density | 4.4 / km²#186 of 194 | 8.4 / km²#183 of 194 |
| Urban populationRussia: 1.11× the urban share | 68%#81 of 192 · 2025 | 75%#57 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBotswana: 1.9× the births per woman | 2.70 per woman#62 of 192 · 2024 | 1.42 per woman#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBotswana: 1.72 points higher | +1.61%#63 of 192 · 2025 | −0.11%#163 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBotswana: 2.9× the birth rate | 24.4 per 1,000#53 of 192 · 2024 | 8.4 per 1,000#163 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateRussia: 2.18× the death rate | 5.7 per 1,000#148 of 192 · 2024 | 12.4 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Botswana: 15.0 points higher | 32.0%#58 of 192 · 2025 | 17.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Russia: 13.7 points higher | 4.1%#139 of 192 · 2025 | 17.8%#42 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationRussia: 0.4 per 1,000 higher | −2.2 per 1,000#147 of 192 · 2025 | −1.8 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadRussia: 4.6× the refugees for its size | 0.15 per 1,000#110 of 190 · 2025 | 0.69 per 1,000#68 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyRussia: 4.1 years longer | 69.3 years#135 of 192 · 2024 | 73.4 years#101 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBotswana: 7.83× the infant mortality | 32.1 per 1,000 births#42 of 191 · 2024 | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsRussia: 13.4× the doctors per person | 0.38 per 1,000#133 of 178 · 2023 | 5.11 per 1,000#8 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentRussia: 2.82× the university enrolment | 21.4%#112 of 145 · 2024 | 60.4%#56 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexRussia: 0.101 higher | 0.731#110 of 190 · 2023 | 0.832#63 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaRussia: 2.16× the income per person | $7,390#93 of 185 · 2025 | $15,960#63 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPRussia: 129× the economy | $19.93B2025 | $2.56T2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Russia: 2.39× the output per person | $20,698#91 of 184 · 2025 | $49,568#45 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthRussia: 1.7 points higher | −0.7%#178 of 187 · 2025 | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationRussia: 6.0 points higher | +2.7%#96 of 176 · 2025 | +8.7%#25 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBotswana: 11.7× the unemployment | 24.5%#4 of 178 · 2025 | 2.1%#161 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: 21.9 higher | 54.9#2 of 149 · 2015 | 33.0#94 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureBotswana: 12.9 points higher | 18.0% of jobs#83 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryRussia: 10.0 points higher | 15.8% of jobs#133 of 178 · 2025 | 25.8% of jobs#39 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesRussia: 2.9 points higher | 66.2% of jobs#66 of 178 · 2025 | 69.1% of jobs#56 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentRussia: 3.7 points higher | -3.3% of GDP#180 of 184 · 2025 | 0.4% of GDP#150 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBotswana: 13.8 points higher | 32.0% of GDP#93 of 168 · 2025 | 18.2% of GDP#138 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingRussia: 2.41× the military spending | 3.1% of GDP#28 of 155 · 2025 | 7.5% of GDP#4 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersRussia: 1.64× the share online | 58%#138 of 184 · 2024 | 94%#28 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsRussia: 1.13× the mobile subscriptions | 164 per 100#17 of 191 · 2024 | 186 per 100#5 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaRussia: 1.83× the forest share | 28% of land#105 of 192 · 2024 | 51% of land#47 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personRussia: 5.1× the CO₂ per person | 2.74 t a year#87 of 185 · 2024 | 14.0 t a year#12 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBotswana: 23.9 points higher | 27.4%#88 of 190 · 2021 | 3.5%#162 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityRussia: 19.8 points higher | 80.2%#148 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Botswana: 1.14× the air pollution | 13.2 µg/m³#133 of 191 · 2023 | 11.6 µg/m³#141 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBotswana: 16.1 points higher | 27.6% of land#45 of 191 · 2025 | 11.5% of land#138 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landRussia: 6.9 points higher | 0.5% of land#182 of 190 · 2024 | 7.4% of land#113 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressRussia: 1.86× the water stress | 2.2%#143 of 176 · 2022 | 4.1%#129 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationRussia: 1.11× the rain and snow | 416 mm#149 of 180 · 2022 | 460 mm#145 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBotswana: 2.02 higher | +1.08#29 of 193 · 2025 | −0.94#165 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBotswana: 1.57 higher | +0.59#52 of 193 · 2025 | −0.98#153 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateBotswana: 1.68× the homicide rate | 11.4 per 100,000#25 of 146 · 2021 | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Semi-presidential republicsemi-presidential federation |
| Member of | — | G20, BRICS |
| Capital | Gaborone | Moscow |
| Currency | Botswana pula (BWP) | Russian ruble (RUB) |
| Official languages | English | Russian, Ukrainian, Azerbaijani, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Chuvash, Ossetian, Crimean Tatar, Yakut, Avar, Udmurt, Tuvan, Erzya, Adyghe, Komi, Buryat, Lezgian, Karachay-Balkar, Ingush, Mari, Moksha, Kabardian, Abaza, Kalmyk, Khakas, Lak, Kumyk, Nogai, Rutulian, Tabasaran, Tat, Aghul, Tsakhur, Dargwa, Southern Altai |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC+3 · UTC+2 to UTC+12, 11 time zones |
| Calling code | +267 | +7 |
| Region | Southern Africa, Africa | Eastern 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; Russia at 66° N is stretched to 6.06×. That difference is why Russia 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 Russia?
- No. Botswana is 29.4 times smaller than Russia. Botswana covers 581,737 km² and Russia covers 17,075,400 km².
- How many times does Botswana fit into Russia?
- About 29 times: Russia has 29.4× the area of Botswana.
- Why do Botswana and Russia 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 Russia about 6.06×. That is why Russia 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 Russia?
- Russia: 143,513,328 people against 2,562,122. Density: Botswana 4.4 per km², Russia 8.4 per km².
- Which is richer, Botswana or Russia?
- By gross national income per person, Russia: $15,960 against $7,390 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.16× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Botswana or Russia?
- In Russia: life expectancy at birth is 73.4 years, against 69.3 — 4.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Botswana and Russia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Botswana: parliamentary republic; Russia: semi-presidential republic.