Botswana Demographics

Population of Botswana (2025)

View live population, charts & trends: Population of Botswana

Botswana Population
2,562,122
see live
Yearly Change
+1.63%
Global Share
0.03%
Global Rank
146

Median Age

The median age in Botswana is 23.4 years (2025).

Fertility in Botswana

A Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.1 represents the Replacement-Level Fertility: the average number of children per woman needed for each generation to exactly replace itself without needing international immigration. A value below 2.1 will cause the native population to decline


Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
2.7
(Live Births per Woman, 2025)

Life Expectancy in Botswana

See also: Countries in the world ranked by Life Expectancy

Both Sexes
69.4
(life expectancy at birth, both sexes combined)
Females
72.0
(life expectancy at birth, females)
Males
66.9
(life expectancy at birth, males)


Infant Mortality Rate and Deaths of Children under 5 Years Old in Botswana


Infant Mortality
27.2
(infant deaths per 1,000 live births)
Deaths under age 5
36.0
(per 1,000 live births)


Botswana Urban Population

Currently, 75.6% of the population of Botswana is urban (1,937,024 people in 2025)


Population Density

The 2025 population density in Botswana is 5 people per Km2 (12 people per mi2), calculated on a total land area of 566,730 Km2 (218,816 sq. miles).

Largest Cities in Botswana

# City Population
1 Gaborone 246,325
2 Francistown 103,417
3 Mogoditshane 88,004
4 Maun 85,350
5 Molepolole 74,861
6 Serowe 55,676
7 Tlokweng 55,508
8 Palapye 52,636
9 Mochudi 50,321
10 Mahalapye 48,431
11 Kanye 48,028
12 Selebi-Phikwe 42,488
13 Letlhakane 36,404
14 Ramotswa 33,271
15 Lobatse 29,772
16 Mmopone 25,460
17 Thamaga 25,300
18 Mosopa 23,858
19 Tonota 23,296
20 Bobonong 21,216
21 Gabane 20,027
22 Ghanzi 19,012
23 Jwaneng 18,784
24 Tutume 18,582
25 Janeng 16,853

See also

Sources

Definitions

Population Pyramid

A Population pyramid (also called "Age-Sex Pyramid") is a graphical representation of the age and sex of a population.

Types:

  • Expansive - pyramid with a wide base (larger percentage of people in younger age groups, indicating high birth rates and high fertility rates) and narrow top (high death rate and lower life expectancies). It suggests a growing population. Example: Nigeria Population Pyramid
  • Constrictive - pyramid with a narrow base (lower percentage of younger people, indicating declining birth rates with each succeeding age group getting smaller than the previous one). Example: United States
  • Stationary - with a somewhat equal proportion of the population in each age group. The population is stable, neither increasing nor decreasing.

Stages:

Population pyramid stages

Dependency Ratio

There are three types of age dependency ratio: Youth, Elderly, and Total. All three ratios are commonly multiplied by 100.

Youth Dependency Ratio

Definition: population ages 0-15 divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 0-15] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Elderly dependency ratio

Definition: population ages 65-plus divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 65-plus] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Total dependency ratio

Definition: sum of the youth and old-age ratios.

Formula: (([Population ages 0-15] + [Population ages 65-plus]) ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

NOTE: Dependency Ratio does not take into account labor force participation rates by age group. Some portion of the population counted as "working age" may actually be unemployed or not in the labor force whereas some portion of the "dependent" population may be employed and not necessarily economically dependent.