Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Syria instead of Botswana, you would:
Health
be 99.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Botswana, 15.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 3.3 years longer
In Botswana, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
have 4.0 times more doctors per person
Botswana has 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Syria has 15.2 as of 2021.
have 16.4% more access to essential health services
Botswana scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Syria scores 64 as of 2021.
be 92.9% less likely to die by suicide
Botswana has a suicide rate of 8.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Syria, it is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 66.7% more likely to be obese
In Botswana, 19.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 33.0% of people as of 2024.
see 90.6% less spent on your healthcare
Botswana spends $1,310 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Syria spends $122 as of 2023.
Economy
be 44.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Botswana, 24.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Syria, that number is 13.6% as of 2025.
be 5.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Botswana, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2015. In Syria, however, that number is 82.5% as of 2014.
make 86.4% less money
Botswana has a GDP per capita of $7,778 as of 2025, while in Syria, the GDP per capita is $1,057 as of 2022.
Life
be 87.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Botswana, approximately 155.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Syria, 20.0 women do as of 2023.
be 44.9% 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 Syria, on the other hand, 17.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 16.3% 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 Syria, that number is 88% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 18.9% less likely to have internet access
In Botswana, approximately 57.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Syria, about 46.6% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 56.7% less on healthcare
Botswana spends 6.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Syria, that number is 2.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 81.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Botswana, road accidents kill 16.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Syria, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 55.8 times more strain on fresh water
Botswana withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Syria withdraws 124% as of 2022.
use 48.0% less electricity
Botswana uses 1,641 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Syria uses 854 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 53.6% less CO2
Botswana emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Syria emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 50.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In Botswana, air pollution causes 55.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Syria, it causes 83.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2014–2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Botswana vs. Syria
Syria: At a glance
How big is Syria compared to Botswana? See an in-depth size comparison.