Botswana vs United States
United States is 16.9 times larger than Botswana. Botswana would fit into United States about 17 times.
BotswanaUnited StatesBotswana moved onto United States · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.06×
Botswana is 0.06× the area of United States. Put the other way, United States is 16.9× the size of Botswana.
 Botswana |  United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaUnited States: 16.9× the area | 581,737 km²#47 of 194 | 9,826,675 km²#3 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationUnited States: 133× the population | 2,562,122#141 of 194 · 2025 | 341,784,857#3 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityUnited States: 7.9× the density | 4.4 / km²#186 of 194 | 35 / km²#145 of 194 |
| Urban populationUnited States: 1.18× the urban share | 68%#81 of 192 · 2025 | 80%#41 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBotswana: 1.66× the births per woman | 2.70 per woman#62 of 192 · 2024 | 1.63 per woman#121 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBotswana: 1.09 points higher | +1.61%#63 of 192 · 2025 | +0.52%#125 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBotswana: 2.3× the birth rate | 24.4 per 1,000#53 of 192 · 2024 | 10.6 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateUnited States: 1.58× the death rate | 5.7 per 1,000#148 of 192 · 2024 | 9.0 per 1,000#52 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Botswana: 14.9 points higher | 32.0%#58 of 192 · 2025 | 17.1%#140 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65United States: 14.3 points higher | 4.1%#139 of 192 · 2025 | 18.4%#38 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationUnited States: 5.8 per 1,000 higher | −2.2 per 1,000#147 of 192 · 2025 | +3.6 per 1,000#26 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBotswana: 15× the refugees for its size | 0.15 per 1,000#110 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyUnited States: 9.6 years longer | 69.3 years#135 of 192 · 2024 | 78.9 years#46 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBotswana: 5.84× the infant mortality | 32.1 per 1,000 births#42 of 191 · 2024 | 5.5 per 1,000 births#139 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsUnited States: 9.68× the doctors per person | 0.38 per 1,000#133 of 178 · 2023 | 3.68 per 1,000#39 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentUnited States: 3.71× the university enrolment | 21.4%#112 of 145 · 2024 | 79.4%#27 of 145 · 2022 |
| Human Development IndexUnited States: 0.207 higher | 0.731#110 of 190 · 2023 | 0.938#16 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaUnited States: 12× the income per person | $7,390#93 of 185 · 2025 | $88,810#5 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPUnited States: 1,544× the economy | $19.93B2025 | $30.77T2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)United States: 4.35× the output per person | $20,698#91 of 184 · 2025 | $90,027#9 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthUnited States: 2.9 points higher | −0.7%#178 of 187 · 2025 | +2.2%#126 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationUnited States: 0.2 points higher | +2.7%#96 of 176 · 2025 | +2.9%#92 of 176 · 2024 |
| UnemploymentBotswana: 5.83× the unemployment | 24.5%#4 of 178 · 2025 | 4.2%#110 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyBotswana: 19.5× the share in extreme poverty | 21.4%#34 of 149 · 2015 | 1.1%#82 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Botswana: 13.1 higher | 54.9#2 of 149 · 2015 | 41.8#30 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureBotswana: 16.5 points higher | 18.0% of jobs#83 of 178 · 2025 | 1.5% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryUnited States: 3.1 points higher | 15.8% of jobs#133 of 178 · 2025 | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesUnited States: 13.4 points higher | 66.2% of jobs#66 of 178 · 2025 | 79.6% of jobs#16 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentUnited States: 4.3 points higher | -3.3% of GDP#180 of 184 · 2025 | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBotswana: 21.0 points higher | 32.0% of GDP#93 of 168 · 2025 | 11.0% of GDP#159 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingAbout the same military spending | 3.1% of GDP#28 of 155 · 2025 | 3.1% of GDP#27 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersUnited States: 1.65× the share online | 58%#138 of 184 · 2024 | 95%#27 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBotswana: 1.45× the mobile subscriptions | 164 per 100#17 of 191 · 2024 | 113 per 100#102 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaUnited States: 1.22× the forest share | 28% of land#105 of 192 · 2024 | 34% of land#92 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personUnited States: 4.97× the CO₂ per person | 2.74 t a year#87 of 185 · 2024 | 13.6 t a year#13 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBotswana: 16.5 points higher | 27.4%#88 of 190 · 2021 | 10.9%#139 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityUnited States: 19.8 points higher | 80.2%#148 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Botswana: 1.89× the air pollution | 13.2 µg/m³#133 of 191 · 2023 | 7.0 µg/m³#173 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBotswana: 14.7 points higher | 27.6% of land#45 of 191 · 2025 | 12.9% of land#131 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landUnited States: 16.1 points higher | 0.5% of land#182 of 190 · 2024 | 16.6% of land#64 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressUnited States: 12.8× the water stress | 2.2%#143 of 176 · 2022 | 28.2%#57 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationUnited States: 1.72× the rain and snow | 416 mm#149 of 180 · 2022 | 715 mm#111 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBotswana: 1.38 higher | +1.08#29 of 193 · 2025 | −0.30#122 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionUnited States: 0.28 higher | +0.59#52 of 193 · 2025 | +0.87#39 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateBotswana: 1.97× the homicide rate | 11.4 per 100,000#25 of 146 · 2021 | 5.8 per 100,000#46 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Presidential republicconstitutional federal republic |
| Member of | — | NATO, OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Gaborone | Washington D.C. |
| Currency | Botswana pula (BWP) | United States dollar (USD) |
| Official languages | English | English |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC−5, summer time UTC−4 · UTC−10 to UTC−5, 6 time zones |
| Calling code | +267 | +1 |
| Region | Southern Africa, Africa | Northern America, North America |
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; United States at 45° N is stretched to 1.98×. That difference is why United States 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 United States?
- No. Botswana is 16.9 times smaller than United States. Botswana covers 581,737 km² and United States covers 9,826,675 km².
- How many times does Botswana fit into United States?
- About 17 times: United States has 16.9× the area of Botswana.
- Why do Botswana and United States 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 United States about 1.98×. That is why United States 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 United States?
- United States: 341,784,857 people against 2,562,122. Density: Botswana 4.4 per km², United States 35 per km².
- Which is richer, Botswana or United States?
- By gross national income per person, United States: $88,810 against $7,390 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 12× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Botswana or United States?
- In United States: life expectancy at birth is 78.9 years, against 69.3 — 9.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Botswana and United States have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Botswana: parliamentary republic; United States: presidential republic.