Demographic profile
Botswana is the 146th most populous of the 238 countries and territories tracked on this site, home to about 0.03% of everyone alive. Within Southern Africa, it ranks 3 of 5.
Each day brings roughly 130 births and 60 deaths, adding about 25,566 people over a year. At the current natural-increase rate of 1.05% annually, the population would double in roughly 67 years if the rate held. Real trajectories bend as fertility, mortality and migration shift, which is why the chart below shows both history and projection.
Literacy stands near 88.0% and adult smoking prevalence around 18.0%, with life expectancy at about 39.3 years. Baselines come from UN World Population Prospects, the World Bank, WHO surveys, WorldPop and HDX; the counters project them forward in real time — the method, and every caveat, is documented on our data sources page.
Quick answers
What is the population of Botswana in 2026? Approximately 2,453,665 people (live projection; the counter above updates every second).
How fast is Botswana growing? About 1.05% per year — roughly 130 births and 60 deaths every day.
What share of the world lives in Botswana? Around 0.03% — ranked 146 worldwide by population.