Rural population in Botswana
Botswana: Rural population was 821,007 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Rural population in Botswana, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in Botswana is 821,007, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Botswana peaked at 841,444 in 1983 and was at its lowest, 500,671, in 1960.
Botswana ranks 138th of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Botswana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 500,671 | — |
| 1961 | 511,747 | +2.2% |
| 1962 | 523,222 | +2.2% |
| 1963 | 535,160 | +2.3% |
| 1964 | 547,160 | +2.2% |
| 1965 | 552,633 | +1.0% |
| 1966 | 551,105 | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 548,135 | -0.5% |
| 1968 | 544,382 | -0.7% |
| 1969 | 540,513 | -0.7% |
| 1970 | 537,203 | -0.6% |
| 1971 | 541,119 | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 556,611 | +2.9% |
| 1973 | 579,685 | +4.1% |
| 1974 | 605,586 | +4.5% |
| 1975 | 633,103 | +4.5% |
| 1976 | 663,154 | +4.7% |
| 1977 | 695,228 | +4.8% |
| 1978 | 733,882 | +5.6% |
| 1979 | 773,667 | +5.4% |
| 1980 | 797,424 | +3.1% |
| 1981 | 816,602 | +2.4% |
| 1982 | 835,353 | +2.3% |
| 1983 | 841,444 | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 838,567 | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 828,403 | -1.2% |
| 1986 | 812,612 | -1.9% |
| 1987 | 793,060 | -2.4% |
| 1988 | 771,160 | -2.8% |
| 1989 | 750,540 | -2.7% |
| 1990 | 735,818 | -2.0% |
| 1991 | 730,725 | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 734,198 | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 740,359 | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 747,630 | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 755,236 | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 762,517 | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 769,305 | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 775,509 | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 780,843 | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 784,935 | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 786,798 | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 784,894 | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 779,585 | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 772,406 | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 764,403 | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 756,515 | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 749,530 | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 744,261 | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 741,522 | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 742,195 | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 746,083 | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 750,682 | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 754,420 | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 758,119 | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 762,104 | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 766,641 | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 771,926 | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 778,077 | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 785,278 | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 793,785 | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 804,044 | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 815,193 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 817,953 | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 820,319 | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 821,007 | +0.1% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 821,007 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.53 million, 54% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 821,007 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.41 million, 9% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 535,473 | 500,671 | 552,633 | 10 |
| 1970s | 631,924 | 537,203 | 773,667 | 10 |
| 1980s | 808,516 | 750,540 | 841,444 | 10 |
| 1990s | 753,214 | 730,725 | 780,843 | 10 |
| 2000s | 766,485 | 741,522 | 786,798 | 10 |
| 2010s | 761,552 | 742,195 | 785,278 | 10 |
| 2020s | 812,050 | 793,785 | 821,007 | 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)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.8% (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 821,007 in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 841,444 in 1983.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 500,671 in 1960.
- How does Botswana rank for rural population?
- Botswana ranks 138th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.