Demographics of Botswana

This article is about the demographic features of the population of Botswana, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Demographics of Botswana, Data of FAO, year 2008; Number of inhabitants in thousands.
A type of house in Botswana
Botswana population pyramid in 2020

Botswana, like many nations in southern Africa, suffers from a high HIV infection rate, estimated among adults ages 15 to 49 to be 20.7%.[1]

Population

Census results

Botswana Population and Housing Census
YearPop.±% p.a.
1904 120,776    
1911 124,350+0.42%
1921 152,983+2.09%
1936 265,756+3.75%
1946 296,310+1.09%
1956 309,175+0.43%
1964 549,510+7.45%
1971 596,994+1.19%
1981 941,027+4.66%
1991 1,326,796+3.50%
2001 1,680,863+2.39%
2011 2,024,787+1.88%
[2][3][4]

Bechuanaland Protectorate

The seven censuses of Botswana before its independence happened irregularly. Due to the Anglo-Boer War, the first census of Bechuanaland Protectorate, originally set to occur in 1901, took place on 17 April 1904.[2] The 1931 census was postponed to 1936 because of the Great Depression.[2] The early censuses were unreliable and took several years to tabulate; the results were outdated by the time they were calculated.

Post-independence

There have been five censuses after the independence of Botswana, each occurring every ten years in the year ending in 1 (i.e. 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001, and 2011). The 1971 census was the first census in Botswana to use de facto enumeration; this method counts people based on how many people spent census night at a specific location. Previously, the citizens were counted based on their usual place of residence. The 2001 census was the first census in Botswana to comply with the SADC 2000 Census Project, the guidelines of which unify the demographic statistics in southern Africa. The most recent census was the 2011 Botswana Population and Housing Census, which occurred in August 2011.

UN estimates

According to the 2019 revision of the World Population Prospects[5][6] the total population was 2,254,068 in 2018, compared to only 413,000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2020 was about 33.4%, 62.1% were between 15 and 65 years of age, while 4.5% of the population were 65 years or older.[7]

Total population Population aged 0–14 (%) Population aged 15–64 (%) Population aged 65+ (%)
1950 413 00040.954.84.4
1955 463 00041.753.94.3
1960 503 00043.652.14.3
1965 560 00046.849.34.0
1970 628 00047.848.33.9
1975 741 00048.048.53.5
1980 898 00048.548.13.4
1985 1 070 00047.949.03.1
1990 1 287 00045.051.73.3
1995 1 469 00042.254.63.3
2000 1 643 00038.758.13.3
2005 1 799 00036.560.33.1
2010 1 987 00035.061.73.3
2015 2 121 00034.961.23.8
2020 2 352 00033.462.14.5

Vital statistics

Registration of vital events is in Botswana not complete. The Population Departement of the United Nations prepared the following estimates. [7]

Period Live births per year Deaths per year Natural change per year CBR* CDR* NC* TFR* IMR*
1950–195520 8009 00011 80047.420.726.76.50128
1955–196023 0009 00014 00047.718.729.06.58112
1960–196524 8008 80016 00046.616.630.06.6599
1965–197027 2008 80018 40045.714.731.06.7085
1970–197530 6008 60022 00044.712.732.06.5571
1975–198036 4008 80027 60044.510.633.96.3556
1980–198542 2009 00033 20042.99.133.95.9544
1985–199043 8009 60034 20037.18.228.94.9036
1990–199545 60014 00031 60033.110.223.04.1342
1995–200046 40019 00027 40029.812.217.73.4956
2000–200550 20024 40025 80029.114.215.03.1957
2005–201053 40021 20032 20028.211.217.03.0344
2010–201556 40015 00041 40027.57.320.13.0135
2015–202056 20013 00043 20025.15.819.32.8930
* CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000; CBR-CDR); TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births (deaths under 1 year of age)

Births and deaths[8] [9]

Year Population Live births Deaths Natural increase Crude birth rate Crude death rate Rate of natural increase TFR
1964 514 876
1971 574 094 45.3 13.7 31.6 6.5
1981 941 027 45 026 12 835 32 191 48.7 13.9 34.8 6.6
1991 1 326 796 52 351 15 221 37 130 39.3 11.5 27.8 4.2
1992 1 358 639 52 416 15 344 37 072 38.6 11.3 27.3 4.2
1993 1 391 245 52 437 15 578 36 859 37.7 11.2 26.5 4.1
1994 1 424 636 52 598 15 822 36 776 36.9 11.1 25.8 4.1
1995 1 458 828 52 759 15 926 36 833 33.7 11.0 22.7 4.1
1996 1 495 993 52 921 16 031 36 890 32.4 10.9 21.5 4.0
1997 1 533 393 53 083 16 137 36 946 32.3 10.8 21.5 4.0
1998 1 571 728 53 245 16 244 37 001 32.2 10.7 21.5 4.0
1999 1 611 021 53 407 16 352 37 055 32.1 10.6 21.5 3.9
2001 1 680 862 32 690 20 823 11 867 28.9 12.4 16.5 3.3
2002 1 667 487
2003 1 691 390
2004 1 711 334
2005 1 727 372
2006 1 739 556 19 088 29.8 11.2 18.6 3.2
2007 1 756 651
2008 1 776 283
2009 1 798 372
2010 1 822 858
2011 2 024 904 39 368 13 301 26 067 25.7 6.3 19.4 2.89
2012 2 068 529 40 856 12 270 28 586 19.7 5.9 13.8
2013 2 110 050 44 794 11 967 32 827 21.2 5.6 15.6
2014 2 149 255 41 741 12 177 29 564 19.4 5.6 13.8
2015 2 185 903 46 765 13 030 33 735 21.4 6.0 15.4
2016 2 219 732 49 984 12 825 37 159 22.5 5.8 16.7
2017 2 254 021 43 290 12 386 30 904 19.2 5.5 13.7 3.1
2018 2 288 651 54 023 12 609 41 414 23.6 5.5 18.1
2019 2 323 493
2020 2 374 697

Source: Vital Statistics Report 2012.

Life expectancy at birth

Life expectancy from 1950 to 2020 (UN World Population Prospects):[10]

Period Life expectancy in

Years

1950–1955 44.89
1955–1960 47.82
1960–1965 50.42
1965–1970 52.67
1970–1975 55.09
1975–1980 57.92
1980–1985 60.11
1985–1990 61.09
1990–1995 56.43
1995–2000 52.63
2000–2005 50.06
2005–2010 55.86
2010–2015 64.45
2015–2020 69.09

Ethnic groups

Tswana or Setswana 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, Other 7% (including Kgalagadi, Indians and Whites[11])

Languages

Setswana 77.3%, Sekalanga 7.4%, Shekgalagari 3.4%, English (official) 2.8%, Zezuru/Shona 2%, Sesarwa 1.7%, sotho1% Sembukushu 1.6%j, Ndebele 1%, other 2.8% (2011 est.)[11]

Religions

Christian 79.1%, Badimo 4.1%, Other 1.4% (includes the Baháʼí Faith, Hindu, Islam, Rastafarian), None 15.2%, Unspecified 0.3% (2011 est.)[11]

Other demographic statistics

Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2019.[12]

  • One birth every 10 minutes
  • One death every 36 minutes
  • One net migrant every 180 minutes
  • Net gain of one person every 13 minutes

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook.

Population

2,350,667 (July 2021 est.)
2,214,858 (July 2017 est.)

Age structure

Pyramid population of Botswana in 2017
0-14 years: 30.54% (male 357,065/female 350,550)
15-24 years: 18.31% (male 208,824/female 215,462)
25-54 years: 39.67% (male 434,258/female 484,922)
55-64 years: 5.92% (male 59,399/female 77,886)
65 years and over: 5.56% (male 53,708/female 75,159) (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.42 children born/woman (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 74th

Population growth rate

1.43% (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 67th
1.55% (2017 est.)

Birth rate

20.6 births/1,000 population (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 71st
22.1 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)

Death rate

9.12 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 61st
9.6 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)

Median age

Total: 25.7 years. Country comparison to the world: 157th
Male: 24.5 years
Female: 26.7 years (2020 est.)
Total: 24.5 years
Male: 23.5 years
Female: 25.6 years (2017 est.)

Net migration rate

2.85 migrants/1,000 population (2021 est.) Country comparison to the world: 38th
note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into Botswana and South Africa in search of better economic opportunities. Refer to below section on Migration.

Urbanization

Urban population: 70.9% of total population (2020)
Rate of urbanization: 2.87% annual rate of change (2015–20 est.)

Sex ratio

At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.76 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total population: 65.2 years
Male: 63.2 years
Female: 67.3 years (2021 est.)

Maternal mortality rate

144 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.) Country comparison to the world: 59th

HIV/AIDS

Adult prevalence rate: 22.2% (2019 est.)
People living with HIV/AIDS: 380,000 (2019 est.)
Deaths due to AIDS: 5,000 (2019 est.) Country comparison to the world: 25th

Physicians density

0.53 physicians/1,000 population (2016)

Hospital bed density

1.8 beds/1,000 population (2010)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

18.9% (2016)

Major infectious diseases

Degree of risk: high (2020)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne disease: malaria

Nationality

Noun: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)
Adjective: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)

Literacy

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 88.5%
Male: 88%
Female: 88.9% (2015 est.)

Education expenditure

8.7% of total GDP (2007)

Sanitation facility access

Improved:
Urban: 92.9% of population
Rural: 60.8% of population
Total: 82.8% of population
Unimproved:
Urban: 7.1% of population
Rural: 39.2% of population
Total: 17.2% of population (2017 est.)

Migrants

According to the United Nations, there were 110,596 international migrants in Botswana in 2019. Their most common countries of origin were as follows:

International migrants in Botswana in 2019
 Zimbabwe
64,477
 South Africa
5,751
 India
5,668
 China
4,792
 Zambia
4,429
 Malawi
1,484
 United Kingdom
1,320
 Nigeria
1,238
 Kenya
1,215
 Democratic Republic of the Congo
1,133
 Sri Lanka
992
 Namibia
992
 United States
923
 Tanzania
818
 Angola
782
 Netherlands
640
 Ireland
629
 Eswatini
611
 Mozambique
607
Source: United Nations"Migrant Stock by Origin and Destination". 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2021.

References

  1. "HIV & Aids in Botswana". AVERT International HIV & Aids Charity. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  2. "History". Central Statistics Office. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
  3. "TABLE 1: 1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001 CENSUS DEMOGRAPHIC INDICATORS; BOTSWANA" (PDF). Gaborone: Central Statistics Office. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 July 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
  4. "The Population of Towns, Villages and Associated Localities" (PDF). 2011 Population and Housing Census. Gaborone: Statistics Botswana. June 2012. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 September 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
  5. ""World Population prospects – Population division"". population.un.org. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  6. ""Overall total population" – World Population Prospects: The 2019 Revision" (xslx). population.un.org (custom data acquired via website). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  7. "Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, World Population Prospects: Data Query Tool". un.org. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  8. "Demographic and Social Statistics". unstats.un.org. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
  9. "Demographic Statistics Statsbots". statsbots.org.bw. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
  10. "World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations". Retrieved 2021-01-27.
  11. "Africa :: BOTSWANA". CIA The World Factbook.
  12. "Botswana Population 2019", World Population Review

 This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook document: "2009 edition".

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