Compare
Botswana vs South Africa
How Botswana and South Africa compare on 37 measures, from 1820 to 2025. The main differences:
- Life expectancy · In 2023, Botswana was higher: 69.2 years against 66.1 years
- GDP per person · In 2025, Botswana was higher: $6,791 against $5,713
- Population · In 2023, South Africa was higher: 63.2 million people against 2.48 million people
- Military spending · In 2025, Botswana was higher: 3.11% of GDP against 0.74% of GDP
- CO₂ per person · In 2024, South Africa was higher: 6.88 tonnes against 2.74 tonnes
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancyBotswana: 69.2 years in 2023South Africa: 66.1 years in 2023
- Child mortalityBotswana: 3.3 per 100 live births in 2024South Africa: 3.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityBotswana: 28.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023South Africa: 27.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionBotswana: 3.97% in 2017South Africa: 3.75% in 2017
- Suicide rateBotswana: 10 per 100,000 people in 2017South Africa: 11.2 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationBotswana: 2.48 million people in 2023South Africa: 63.2 million people in 2023
- Population growthBotswana: 1.64% a year in 2023South Africa: 1.32% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateBotswana: 2.73 births per woman in 2023South Africa: 2.22 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationBotswana: 68% in 2025South Africa: 63.8% in 2025
- Median ageBotswana: 22.9 years in 2023South Africa: 28.2 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overBotswana: 4% in 2023South Africa: 6.5% in 2023
- Net migration rateBotswana: -2.6 per 1,000 people in 2023South Africa: 3.6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingBotswana: 3.11% of GDP in 2025South Africa: 0.74% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsBotswana: $595M in 2025South Africa: $3B in 2025
- Military spending per personBotswana: $242 in 2025South Africa: $49 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingBotswana: 8.9% of government spending in 2025South Africa: 2.2% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelBotswana: 9,000 people in 2020South Africa: 89,000 people in 2020
- National powerBotswana: 0.02% of world capability in 2022South Africa: 0.55% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersBotswana: 0.92% of the labour force in 2020South Africa: 0.4% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsBotswana: 11 million TIV in 2024South Africa: 30 million TIV in 2025
Climate
Technology and environment
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Sources: UN, Gapminder and UN IGME, IHME, World Bank, IMF, UNESCO, Our World in Data, V-Dem, UCDP, SIPRI, IISS, Correlates of War, ERA5, CMIP6, EDGAR, ITU and FAO. Each measure’s page names its own and what it counts.
- Values are drawn on today’s borders. Years without a published value are left empty, never filled in.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time