If you lived in Aruba instead of Botswana, you would:

Health

live 7.2 years longer

In Botswana, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Aruba, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

make 5.0 times more money

Botswana has a GDP per capita of $7,778 as of 2025, while in Aruba, the GDP per capita is $38,591 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Life

be 10.5% more likely to be literate

In Botswana, the literacy rate is 88.5% as of 2015. In Aruba, it is 97.8% as of 2018.

View global rankings →

be 62.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Botswana, approximately 32.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Aruba, on the other hand, 12.1 children do as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 68.8% fewer children

In Botswana, there are approximately 24.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Aruba, there are 7.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 31.6% more likely to have access to electricity

In Botswana, approximately 76% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 25% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Aruba, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 68.8% more likely to have internet access

In Botswana, approximately 57.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Aruba, about 97.0% do as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 55.1% less on education

Botswana spends 8.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Aruba spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 2.4 times more home broadband

Botswana has 7.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Aruba has 17.5 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 88.0% more CO2

Botswana emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Aruba emits 5.2 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), The World Factbook (2015–2022). How we calculate this

Aruba: At a glance

Aruba is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 180 sq km. Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636. The island's economy has been dominated by three main industries. A 19th century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990.
Read more

How big is Aruba compared to Botswana? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Aruba or Botswana. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.