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Botswana vs. Zambia

Demographics

BotswanaZambia
Population2,350,667 (July 2021 est.)

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected
19,077,816 (July 2021 est.)

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected
Age structure0-14 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.)
0-14 years: 45.74% (male 4,005,134/female 3,964,969)

15-24 years: 20.03% (male 1,744,843/female 1,746,561)

25-54 years: 28.96% (male 2,539,697/female 2,506,724)

55-64 years: 3.01% (male 242,993/female 280,804)

65 years and over: 2.27% (male 173,582/female 221,316) (2020 est.)
Median agetotal: 25.7 years

male: 24.5 years

female: 26.7 years (2020 est.)
total: 16.9 years

male: 16.7 years

female: 17 years (2020 est.)
Population growth rate1.43% (2021 est.)2.93% (2021 est.)
Birth rate20.6 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)35.23 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Death rate9.12 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)6.24 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Net migration rate2.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)0.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Sex ratioat 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.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.87 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
Infant mortality ratetotal: 25.97 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 28.38 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 23.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)
total: 37.91 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 41.44 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 34.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)
Life expectancy at birthtotal population: 65.24 years

male: 63.21 years

female: 67.32 years (2021 est.)
total population: 65.92 years

male: 64.15 years

female: 67.75 years (2021 est.)
Total fertility rate2.42 children born/woman (2021 est.)4.63 children born/woman (2021 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate19.9% (2020 est.)11.1% (2020 est.)
Nationalitynoun: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)

adjective: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)
noun: Zambian(s)

adjective: Zambian
Ethnic groupsTswana (or Setswana) 79%, Kalanga 11%, Basarwa 3%, other, including Kgalagadi and people of European ancestry 7%Bemba 21%, Tonga 13.6%, Chewa 7.4%, Lozi 5.7%, Nsenga 5.3%, Tumbuka 4.4%, Ngoni 4%, Lala 3.1%, Kaonde 2.9%, Namwanga 2.8%, Lunda (north Western) 2.6%, Mambwe 2.5%, Luvale 2.2%, Lamba 2.1%, Ushi 1.9%, Lenje 1.6%, Bisa 1.6%, Mbunda 1.2%, other 13.8%, unspecified 0.4% (2010 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS370,000 (2020 est.)1.5 million (2020 est.)
ReligionsChristian 79.1%, Badimo 4.1%, other 1.4% (includes Baha'i, Hindu, Muslim, Rastafarian), none 15.2%, unspecified 0.3% (2011 est.)Protestant 75.3%, Roman Catholic 20.2%, other 2.7% (includes Muslim Buddhist, Hindu, and Baha'i), none 1.8% (2010 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths5,100 (2020 est.)24,000 (2020 est.)
LanguagesSetswana 77.3%, Sekalanga 7.4%, Shekgalagadi 3.4%, English (official) 2.8%, Zezuru/Shona 2%, Sesarwa 1.7%, Sembukushu 1.6%, Ndebele 1%, other 2.8% (2011 est.)Bemba 33.4%, Nyanja 14.7%, Tonga 11.4%, Lozi 5.5%, Chewa 4.5%, Nsenga 2.9%, Tumbuka 2.5%, Lunda (North Western) 1.9%, Kaonde 1.8%, Lala 1.8%, Lamba 1.8%, English (official) 1.7%, Luvale 1.5%, Mambwe 1.3%, Namwanga 1.2%, Lenje 1.1%, Bisa 1%, other 9.7%, unspecified 0.2% (2010 est.)

note: Zambia is said to have over 70 languages, although many of these may be considered dialects; all of Zambia's major languages are members of the Bantu family; Chewa and Nyanja are mutually intelligible dialects
Literacydefinition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 88.5%

male: 88%

female: 88.9% (2015)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write English

total population: 86.7%

male: 90.6%

female: 83.1% (2018)
Major infectious diseasesdegree of risk: high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria
degree of risk: very high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever

water contact diseases: schistosomiasis

animal contact diseases: rabies
Education expendituresNA4.6% of GDP NA (2018)
Urbanizationurban population: 71.6% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 2.47% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
urban population: 45.2% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 4.15% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Drinking water sourceimproved: urban: 98.2% of population

rural: 94% of population

total: 96.9% of population

unimproved: urban: 1.8% of population

rural: 3.1% of population

total: 3.8% of population (2017 est.)
improved: urban: 89.5% of population

rural: 50.9% of population

total: 67.5% of population

unimproved: urban: 10.5% of population

rural: 49.1% of population

total: 32.5% of population (2017 est.)
Sanitation facility accessimproved: 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.)
improved: urban: 69.6% of population

rural: 24.8% of population

total: 44.1% of population

unimproved: urban: 31.4% of population

rural: 75.2% of population

total: 55.9% of population (2017 est.)
Major cities - population269,000 GABORONE (capital) (2018)2.906 million LUSAKA (capital) (2021)
Maternal mortality rate144 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)213 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)
Health expenditures5.9% (2018)4.9% (2018)
Physicians density0.53 physicians/1,000 population (2016)1.19 physicians/1,000 population (2018)
Hospital bed density1.8 beds/1,000 population (2010)2 beds/1,000 population (2010)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate18.9% (2016)8.1% (2016)
Demographic profile

Botswana has experienced one of the most rapid declines in fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa. The total fertility rate has fallen from more than 5 children per woman in the mid 1980s to approximately 2.4 in 2013. The fertility reduction has been attributed to a host of factors, including higher educational attainment among women, greater participation of women in the workforce, increased contraceptive use, later first births, and a strong national family planning program. Botswana was making significant progress in several health indicators, including life expectancy and infant and child mortality rates, until being devastated by the HIV/AIDs epidemic in the 1990s.

Today Botswana has the third highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in the world at approximately 22%, however comprehensive and effective treatment programs have reduced HIV/AIDS-related deaths. The combination of declining fertility and increasing mortality rates because of HIV/AIDS is slowing the population aging process, with a narrowing of the youngest age groups and little expansion of the oldest age groups. Nevertheless, having the bulk of its population (about 60%) of working age will only yield economic benefits if the labor force is healthy, educated, and productively employed.

Batswana have been working as contract miners in South Africa since the 19th century. Although Botswana's economy improved shortly after independence in 1966 with the discovery of diamonds and other minerals, its lingering high poverty rate and lack of job opportunities continued to push workers to seek mining work in southern African countries. In the early 1970s, about a third of Botswana's male labor force worked in South Africa (lesser numbers went to Namibia and Zimbabwe). Not until the 1980s and 1990s, when South African mining companies had reduced their recruitment of foreign workers and Botswana's economic prospects had improved, were Batswana increasingly able to find job opportunities at home.

Most Batswana prefer life in their home country and choose cross-border migration on a temporary basis only for work, shopping, visiting family, or tourism. Since the 1970s, Botswana has pursued an open migration policy enabling it to recruit thousands of foreign workers to fill skilled labor shortages. In the late 1990s, Botswana's prosperity and political stability attracted not only skilled workers but small numbers of refugees from neighboring Angola, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.

Zambia's poor, youthful population consists primarily of Bantu-speaking people representing nearly 70 different ethnicities. Zambia's high fertility rate continues to drive rapid population growth, averaging almost 3 percent annually between 2000 and 2010. The country's total fertility rate has fallen by less than 1.5 children per woman during the last 30 years and still averages among the world's highest, almost 6 children per woman, largely because of the country's lack of access to family planning services, education for girls, and employment for women. Zambia also exhibits wide fertility disparities based on rural or urban location, education, and income. Poor, uneducated women from rural areas are more likely to marry young, to give birth early, and to have more children, viewing children as a sign of prestige and recognizing that not all of their children will live to adulthood. HIV/AIDS is prevalent in Zambia and contributes to its low life expectancy.

Zambian emigration is low compared to many other African countries and is comprised predominantly of the well-educated. The small amount of brain drain, however, has a major impact in Zambia because of its limited human capital and lack of educational infrastructure for developing skilled professionals in key fields. For example, Zambia has few schools for training doctors, nurses, and other health care workers. Its spending on education is low compared to other Sub-Saharan countries.

Contraceptive prevalence rate67.4% (2017)49.6% (2018)
Dependency ratiostotal dependency ratio: 61.1

youth dependency ratio: 53.8

elderly dependency ratio: 7.3

potential support ratio: 13.8 (2020 est.)
total dependency ratio: 85.7

youth dependency ratio: 81.7

elderly dependency ratio: 4

potential support ratio: 25.3 (2020 est.)

Source: CIA Factbook