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Botswana: capital, population, area and flag

Botswana is a country in Southern Africa (Africa). Its capital is Gaborone. The population is about 2.56M (#140 of 193) and the area is about 581,730 km² (#48 of 193).

Key facts

Capital
Gaborone
Region
Africa / Southern Africa
Population
2,562,122 (2025) #140 of 193
Total area
581,730 km² (2024) #48 of 193
Population density
4.4 people/km² (2024) #186 of 193
GDP (total)
$19.9B (2025) #132 of 189
GDP per capita
$7,778 (2025) #96 of 189
Life expectancy
69.3 years (2024) #135 of 193
Distance from Japan
13,650 km #36 of 192
Area compared with Japan
about 1.5 times that of Japan
Population compared with Japan
about 1/48 that of Japan
Main languages
English, Tswana
Currency
Botswanan Pula (BWP)
Calling code
+267
Time zone (capital)
UTC+2
Time difference from Japan (standard time)
7 h behind Japan
Driving side
Left
Capital location
24.66°S 25.91°E

Population of Botswana, 1950–2100 (Japanese)
See past estimates, future projections and the population pyramid in the World Population Time Machine.

Map of Botswana

Map of Botswana

Capital: Gaborone

Neighbors by land

Top rankings

Botswana is in the top 10 for:

Botswana in world rankings

How Botswana compares with other countries, indicator by indicator. Click an indicator to see the full ranking.

IndicatorValueYearRank
Geography & nature
Total area581,730 km²2024#48 of 193
Number of land borders3#80 of 193 tied
Latitude of the capital-24.7°#183 of 193
Distance from Japan13,650 km#36 of 192
Forest area (share of land)27.8%2024#106 of 193
Arable land (share of land)0.5%2024#182 of 190
Protected land (share of land)27.6%2025#45 of 192 tied
Agricultural land (share of land)45.6%2024#75 of 192
Average annual rainfall416 mm2022#149 of 180
Freshwater resources per person984 m³2022#128 of 181
Forest area157,302 km²2025#40 of 193
People & population
Population2,562,1222025#140 of 193
Population density4.4 people/km²2024#186 of 193
Population growth rate1.61%2025#63 of 193
Urban population (share of people)68.0%2025#81 of 193
Life expectancy69.3 years2024#135 of 193
Fertility rate2.70 births per woman2024#63 of 193
Infant mortality rate32.1 per 1,000 births2024#42 of 192 tied
Birth rate24.4 per 1,000 people2024#53 of 193
Share of people aged 65 and over4.1%2025#141 of 193
Share of children aged 0–1432.0%2025#59 of 193
Life expectancy of women71.9 years2024#134 of 193
Life expectancy of men66.8 years2024#134 of 193
Maternal mortality ratio155 per 100,000 births2023#47 of 192 tied
Death rate (per 1,000 people)5.7 per 1,000 people2024#149 of 193
Under-5 mortality (per 1,000 births)33.3 per 1,000 births2024#54 of 192
Population aged 15–64 (share of population)64.0%2025#105 of 193
Economy
GDP (total)$19.9B2025#132 of 189
GDP per capita$7,7782025#96 of 189
GDP per capita (PPP)$20,6982025#91 of 185
Economic growth rate-0.7%2025#179 of 188
Inflation rate2.7%2025#99 of 179
Unemployment rate24.5%2025#4 of 178
Exports (share of GDP)32.0%2025#94 of 168
Imports (share of GDP)37.5%2025#96 of 168
Agriculture (share of GDP)1.8%2025#145 of 184
Industry (share of GDP)27.9%2025#63 of 185
Services (share of GDP)64.6%2025#46 of 185
Military spending (share of GDP)3.1%2025#28 of 155
Income inequality (Gini index)54.9 (0–100)2015#2 of 149
Goods exports (total)$5.12B2025#122 of 190
Money sent home by workers abroad (share of GDP)0.8%2025#119 of 170
Women in the labor force (share of women)63.7%2025#26 of 178
Youth unemployment rate46.0%2025#5 of 178
Cereal production54,554 t2024#147 of 177
Cereal yield (per hectare of farmland)900 kg/ha2024#160 of 175
Fish and seafood production (catch + farmed)196 t2024#185 of 193
Fish catch (from sea, rivers and lakes)40 t2024#184 of 193
Aquaculture (farmed fish and seafood)156 t2024#148 of 193
Livestock production growth (2014–16 = 100)112.7 (2014–16 average = 100)2024#82 of 187
Fertilizer use (per hectare of arable land)93 kg/ha2024#92 of 187
Manufacturing (share of GDP)5.7%2025#142 of 178
Employment in agriculture (share of jobs)18.0%2025#83 of 178
High-technology exports (share of manufactured exports)0.5%2023#154 of 168
Foreign direct investment, inflows (share of GDP)-3.3%2025#182 of 187
Development aid received (share of national income)1.5%2023#79 of 132
Labor force (number of people)1,199,3932025#139 of 178
Reserves of foreign currency and gold$3.46B2024#115 of 169
Daily life & technology
Internet users (share of people)57.5%2024#138 of 186
Mobile phone subscriptions164.0 per 100 people2024#18 of 193
Access to electricity (share of people)80.2%2024#149 of 193
Health spending (share of GDP)6.3%2023#98 of 192
Education spending (share of GDP)8.1%2020#8 of 179
Hospital beds2.4 per 1,000 people2022#84 of 157
Doctors0.38 per 1,000 people2023#143 of 188
Women in parliament (share of seats)9.0%2025#173 of 192
University and college enrollment21.4%2024#121 of 163
Fixed broadband subscriptions7.4 per 100 people2024#113 of 192
Air passengers carried172,7202023#128 of 152
Safe drinking water (share of people)63.3%2024#86 of 136
Undernourishment (share of people)18.2%2024#31 of 165
Clean cooking fuels (share of people)71.0%2024#124 of 192
Road traffic deaths26.4 per 100,000 people2019#44 of 183
Measles vaccination (share of children)97.0%2024#31 of 192 tied
Secondary school enrollment (gross)70.6%2021#137 of 180
Primary school completion rate101.5%2022#24 of 172
Nurses and midwives (per 1,000 people)3.02 per 1,000 people2023#111 of 190
Tuberculosis cases (per 100,000 people)143 per 100,000 people2024#47 of 191
Health spending per person$4902023#95 of 192
Environment
Renewable electricity (share of power)0.2%2021#180 of 187
CO₂ emissions per person2.7 t CO₂e per person2024#88 of 186
CO₂ emissions (total)6.9 Mt CO₂e2024#125 of 186
Air pollution (PM2.5)13.2 µg/m³2023#133 of 192
Energy use per person1,347 kg oil eq. per person2024#79 of 146
Renewable energy (share of final energy use)27.4%2021#88 of 191
Electricity consumption per person1,660 kWh per person2024#88 of 146
Electricity from nuclear power (share of total)0.0%2021#33 of 190 tied
Electricity from hydropower (share of total)0.0%2021#150 of 190 tied
Greenhouse gas emissions (total)12.1 Mt CO₂e2024#132 of 186
Freshwater withdrawal (share of internal resources)8.9%2022#86 of 175
Food & farming
Wheat: production1,328 t2024#108 of 120
Maize (corn): production18,000 t2024#126 of 160 tied
Sorghum: production30,000 t2024#58 of 107 tied
Millet: production1,000 t2024#60 of 73 tied
Potatoes: production3,632 t2024#135 of 150
Sweet potatoes: production1,088 t2024#89 of 105
Groundnuts (peanuts): production500 t2024#92 of 108
Sunflower seeds: production3,117 t2024#61 of 73
Tomatoes: production4,023 t2024#133 of 164
Onions: production7,271 t2024#118 of 139
Cabbages: production4,940 t2024#111 of 143
Carrots (with turnips): production6,000 t2024#97 of 129
Oranges: production3,871 t2024#91 of 112
Watermelons: production18,743 t2024#85 of 119
Cotton (fibre): production295 t2023#70 of 85
Beef (cattle meat): production64,889 t2024#88 of 181
Pork (pig meat): production704 t2024#144 of 164
Chicken meat: production1,584 t2024#158 of 183
Cow’s milk: production25,704 t2024#142 of 178
Hen eggs: production3,547 t2024#131 of 167
Sheep meat (mutton and lamb): production874 t2024#123 of 172
Goat meat: production3,976 t2024#77 of 164
Goat’s milk: production11,000 t2024#74 of 108
Butter (with ghee): production491 t2023#111 of 124
Cheese (all kinds): production2,896 t2023#93 of 105
Nile tilapia: production120 t2024#59 of 79 tied
African sharptooth catfish: production1 t2024#63 of 63
Tilapias and other cichlids: production192 t2024#77 of 119
Cattle: number of animals918,057 animals2024#105 of 183
Pigs: number of animals7,083 animals2024#149 of 165
Chickens: number of animals805,000 birds2024#157 of 181
Sheep: number of animals148,744 animals2024#125 of 173
Goats: number of animals1,205,792 animals2024#75 of 180
Horses: number of animals2,572 animals2024#114 of 143
Donkeys: number of animals5,378 animals2024#75 of 104

Questions about Botswana

What is the capital of Botswana?

The capital of Botswana is Gaborone.

What is the population of Botswana?

Botswana has a population of about 2.56M (2025), #140 of 193 among countries.

How big is Botswana?

Botswana covers about 581,730 km², #48 of 193 among countries.

Which continent is Botswana in?

Botswana is in Africa, in the region of Southern Africa.

What currency and languages are used in Botswana?

The currency is the Botswanan Pula. Main languages: English, Tswana.

How does Botswana compare with Japan in size and population?

The area of Botswana is about 1.5 times that of Japan, and its population is about 1/48 that of Japan.

How far is Botswana from Japan?

The capital, Gaborone, is about 13,650 km from Tokyo, the capital of Japan, in a straight line.

What is the time difference between Botswana and Japan?

The capital, Gaborone, is on UTC+2 in standard time: 7 h behind Japan.

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