Rural population in Botswana
Botswana: Rural population was 32.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Botswana, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in Botswana is 32.0%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Botswana peaked at 97.0% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 32.0%, in 2025.
That places Botswana 120th out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Botswana, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 97.0% | — |
| 1961 | 96.9% | -0.1% |
| 1962 | 96.9% | -0.1% |
| 1963 | 96.8% | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 96.6% | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 96.2% | -0.5% |
| 1966 | 95.4% | -0.8% |
| 1967 | 94.4% | -1.1% |
| 1968 | 93.2% | -1.2% |
| 1969 | 92.1% | -1.2% |
| 1970 | 91.0% | -1.2% |
| 1971 | 90.1% | -1.0% |
| 1972 | 89.4% | -0.8% |
| 1973 | 88.9% | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 88.3% | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 87.9% | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 87.4% | -0.5% |
| 1977 | 86.9% | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 86.4% | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 85.8% | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 85.1% | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 84.2% | -1.0% |
| 1982 | 82.8% | -1.7% |
| 1983 | 80.4% | -2.8% |
| 1984 | 77.4% | -3.8% |
| 1985 | 73.8% | -4.6% |
| 1986 | 70.0% | -5.2% |
| 1987 | 66.1% | -5.5% |
| 1988 | 62.4% | -5.6% |
| 1989 | 59.1% | -5.3% |
| 1990 | 56.4% | -4.6% |
| 1991 | 54.5% | -3.4% |
| 1992 | 53.2% | -2.3% |
| 1993 | 52.1% | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 51.2% | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 50.4% | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 49.6% | -1.5% |
| 1997 | 48.9% | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 48.3% | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 47.6% | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 46.8% | -1.6% |
| 2001 | 46.0% | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 45.0% | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 43.9% | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 42.7% | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 41.5% | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 40.4% | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 39.2% | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 38.2% | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 37.2% | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 36.5% | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 36.0% | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 35.6% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 35.2% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 34.9% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 34.6% | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 34.3% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 34.1% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 33.8% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 33.7% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 33.6% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 33.5% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 33.4% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 33.0% | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 32.5% | -1.3% |
| 2025 | 32.0% | -1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 95.5% | 92.1% | 97.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 88.2% | 85.8% | 91.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 74.1% | 59.1% | 85.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 51.2% | 47.6% | 56.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 42.1% | 37.2% | 46.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.9% | 33.7% | 36.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.0% | 32.0% | 33.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More agriculture & rural data for Botswana
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0178 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 138.54 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0839 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3204 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture share gdp 1.78 (2025)
- Value added in the agricultural sector as of gdp vs gdp per capita 1.78 (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.0% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Botswana?
- Rural population in Botswana was 32.0% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 97.0% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.0% in 2025.
- How does Botswana rank for rural population?
- Botswana ranks 120th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.