Sub-Saharan Africa

A life that begins in Botswana

One in every 2,149 babies in the world is born here: about 62,416 a year, 0.12 a minute.

Population: 2,562,122
Births a year: 62,416
Life expectancy: 69.3
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000): 33.3

Health and survival

Life expectancy, women (years)
71.9
World: 75.9
Life expectancy, men (years)
66.8
World: 71
Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000)
32.1
World: 27.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
33.3
World: 37.6
Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births)
155
World: 189
Adults living with HIV (%)
15.7
World: 0.7
Adults who smoke (%)
18
World: 20
Alcohol per adult (litres a year)
7.3
World: 4.6
Road deaths (per 100,000)
26.4
World: 17
Homicides (per 100,000)
11.4
World: 4.7

Family and school

Children per woman
2.7
World: 2.85
Women married before 18 (%)
10
World: 18
Children in primary school (%)
88
World: 89
Secondary school enrolment (%)
71
World: 81
Higher education enrolment (%)
21
World: 48
Children aged 7–14 who work (%)
≈ 31.9
World: 11.9

Money and work

Income per person (PPP)
$17,687
World: $21,797
Income inequality (Gini, 0–100)
55
World: 34
Living on under $3 a day (%)
21.4
World: 9.9
Unemployment (%)
24.5
World: 5.1
Jobs in farming (%)
18
World: 27
Women in the workforce (%)
64
World: 48
Health costs paid out of pocket (%)
4
World: 37

Home and connection

Living in cities (%)
68
World: 58
Access to electricity (%)
80
World: 92
Safe drinking water (%)
92
World: 91
Internet users (%)
57
World: 72

Peace and wellbeing

Life satisfaction (0–10)
3.46
World: 5.4
Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year)
0
World: 2.43
Refugees abroad (% of population)
0.02
World: 0.34

≈ Estimated from the region

From 1960 to 2050

How life here has changed, and where UN projections expect it to go. The dashed part is a projection.

Life expectancy

1960: 51.2 → 2026: 69.2 → 2050: 72.6

World

Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)

1960: 168 → 2026: 33 → 2050: 21

World

Children per woman

1960: 6.6 → 2026: 2.6 → 2050: 2.1

World

Living in cities (%)

1960: 3 → 2026: 69 → 2050: 73

World

Nobody chooses where they are born

In the game, the country is drawn by the real share of births: Botswana comes up about once in every 2,149 lives.

Other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

All 178 countries →

Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.