# Botswana — key facts

Source: GeoReality (https://geo-reality.com) — verified country data, regenerated 2026-09-01.
When citing a figure, attribute both GeoReality and the primary source in the third column.

- Capital: Gaborone
- Region: Africa · Southern Africa
- Full profile: https://geo-reality.com/country/bw
- Methodology and source URLs: https://geo-reality.com/data-sources

| Fact | Value | Primary source |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 2,562,122 | World Bank SP.POP.TOTL |
| Area | 566,730 km² | World Bank AG.LND.TOTL.K2 |
| GDP per capita (nominal) | 7,778 USD | World Bank NY.GDP.PCAP.CD |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | 20,698 intl $ | World Bank NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD |
| GDP (total) | 19.9 bn USD | World Bank NY.GDP.MKTP.CD |
| Human Development Index | 0.71 | UNDP Human Development Report (2022) |
| Global Peace Index (lower = more peaceful) | 1.82 | IEP Global Peace Index (2024) |
| Life satisfaction (Cantril ladder, 0-10) | 3.46 | World Happiness Report — Data for Figure 2.1, life evaluation (Cantril ladder) (2026) |
| Life expectancy at birth | 69.3 years | World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN |
| Fertility rate | 2.7 births/woman | World Bank SP.DYN.TFRT.IN |
| Unemployment | 24.5% | World Bank SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS |
| Inflation (CPI, annual) | 2.7% | World Bank FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG |
| Cost of living index (NYC = 100) | 32.6 | Numbeo (2026) |
| Safety index (Numbeo) | 48.3 | Numbeo (2026) |
| Median fixed broadband | 47.08 Mbps | Ookla Speedtest Global Index (2025) |
| Internet users | 57.5% of population | World Bank IT.NET.USER.ZS |
| Urban population | 68% | World Bank SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS |
| Renewable share of energy | 27.4% | World Bank EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS |
| Forest area | 26.3% of land | World Bank AG.LND.FRST.ZS |
| CO2 emissions per capita | 2.74 t/yr | World Bank EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5 |
| Corporate tax rate | 22% | Wikipedia — List of countries by tax rates (corporate column, headline statutory rate) (2024) |
| VAT / GST standard rate | 14% | Wikipedia — List of countries by tax rates (VAT/GST/Sales column, standard-rate preferred) (2024) |
| Top personal income tax | 25% | Wikipedia — List of countries by tax rates (Individual income / Highest column) (2024) |

## Two decades of change

| Indicator | First → last observed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 54.39 (2005) → 69.29 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN |
| Internet users | 4.29 (2006) → 57.46 (2024) | World Bank IT.NET.USER.ZS |
| Urban population | 59.64 (2006) → 67.96 (2025) | World Bank SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS |
| Births per woman | 3.08 (2005) → 2.7 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.TFRT.IN |
| Renewable share of energy | 34.3 (2004) → 27.4 (2021) | World Bank EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS |
| Access to electricity | 37.5 (2005) → 80.2 (2024) | World Bank EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS |
| Infant mortality | 43.6 (2005) → 32.1 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.IMRT.IN |
| CO2 emissions per person | 2.39 (2005) → 2.74 (2024) | World Bank EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5 |
| Forest area | 30.26 (2004) → 26.29 (2023) | World Bank AG.LND.FRST.ZS |

Context across all countries: https://geo-reality.com/changed

## Human Development Index, 1990–2022

Source: UNDP Human Development Report, composite indices complete time series (2023-24). Annual values as published, none interpolated.

| Year | HDI |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.587 |
| 1991 | 0.588 |
| 1992 | 0.585 |
| 1993 | 0.586 |
| 1994 | 0.576 |
| 1995 | 0.580 |
| 1996 | 0.580 |
| 1997 | 0.582 |
| 1998 | 0.581 |
| 1999 | 0.583 |
| 2000 | 0.581 |
| 2001 | 0.581 |
| 2002 | 0.579 |
| 2003 | 0.585 |
| 2004 | 0.591 |
| 2005 | 0.601 |
| 2006 | 0.615 |
| 2007 | 0.629 |
| 2008 | 0.637 |
| 2009 | 0.639 |
| 2010 | 0.652 |
| 2011 | 0.660 |
| 2012 | 0.664 |
| 2013 | 0.676 |
| 2014 | 0.683 |
| 2015 | 0.688 |
| 2016 | 0.697 |
| 2017 | 0.705 |
| 2018 | 0.700 |
| 2019 | 0.703 |
| 2020 | 0.701 |
| 2021 | 0.680 |
| 2022 | 0.708 |

Chart: https://geo-reality.com/country/bw#hdi-history

Vintages marked "varies" are the most recent value the source publishes per country; the profile page states the exact year per figure.