Demographics & population — Botswana
Population size, age structure, migration, ethnicity, language, education, and health indicators.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Demographics & population at a glance
Population size, age structure, migration, ethnicity, language, education, and health indicators. Key figure for Botswana: 2,317,233
Immigration rules and fees change frequently — confirm current requirements on official government or embassy websites.
Population overview
- Population
2,317,233
- Population - note
Note: Estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of the population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected
- Population Growth Rate
1.35%
- Urban Population
- Population in Major Urban Areas
GABORONE (capital) 202,000
Age & family
- Age Structure
- Median Age
- Birth Rate - births/1,000 population
22
- Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population
12.91
- Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman
2.41
- Contraceptive Prevalance Rate - female 12-49
52.8%
- Contraceptive Prevalence Rate - female 12-49
52.8%
- Sex Ratio at Birth - male/female
Migration
- Net Migration Rate - migrant(s)/1,000 population
4.68
Ethnicity & language
- Ethnic Groups
Tswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other (including Kgalagadi and white) 7%
- Language Note
English is the official language while Setswana is considered the national language. Tjikalanga is commonly spoken in northeastern Botswana.
- Nationality Noun
Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)
Education
- Literacy - total population
81.2%
- Literacy - male
76.9%
- Literacy - female
82.4%
- Literacy Definition
Age 15 and over can read and write
- Education Expenditures - percent of GDP
9.5%
- Total School Life Expectancy - (primary to tertiary)
Health & living conditions
- Life Expectancy at Birth
- Infant Mortality Rate
- Infant Mortality Rate - total deaths/1,000 live births
- Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births
160
- Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population
.34
- Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population
1.8
- Health Expenditures - percent of GDP
5.1%
- Major Infectious Diseases - degree of risk
High
- Obesity - adult prevalence rate
11.2%
- Drinking Water Source - percent of urban population improved
- Sanitation Facility Access - percent of urban population improved
- Underweight - percent of children under five years
11.2%
