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

Health

be 98.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Botswana, 15.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Tajikistan, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2024.

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live 2.6 years longer

In Botswana, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Tajikistan, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.

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have 4.9 times more doctors per person

Botswana has 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Tajikistan has 18.7 as of 2023.

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have 21.8% more access to essential health services

Botswana scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Tajikistan scores 67 as of 2021.

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be 70.9% less likely to die by suicide

Botswana has a suicide rate of 8.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Tajikistan, it is 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 16.6% more likely to be obese

In Botswana, 19.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tajikistan, that number is 23.1% of people as of 2024.

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see 72.2% less spent on your healthcare

Botswana spends $1,310 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Tajikistan spends $364 as of 2023.

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Economy

be 71.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Botswana, 24.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Tajikistan, that number is 6.9% as of 2025.

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make 79.0% less money

Botswana has a GDP per capita of $7,778 as of 2025, while in Tajikistan, the GDP per capita is $1,637 as of 2025.

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Life

be 91.0% 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 Tajikistan, 14.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 12.8% more likely to be literate

In Botswana, the literacy rate is 88.5% as of 2015. In Tajikistan, it is 99.8% as of 2015.

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be 26.8% 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 Tajikistan, on the other hand, 23.5 children do as of 2024.

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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 Tajikistan, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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Expenditures

spend 32.5% less on education

Botswana spends 8.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Tajikistan spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 18.8% more on healthcare

Botswana spends 6.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Tajikistan, that number is 7.4% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 92.2% less likely to be murdered

Botswana has a homicide rate of 11.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Tajikistan, that number is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2020.

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be 15.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Botswana, road accidents kill 16.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Tajikistan, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 86.8% less home broadband

Botswana has 7.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Tajikistan has 1.0 as of 2023.

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live with 31.4 times more strain on fresh water

Botswana withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Tajikistan withdraws 70% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 66.4% less CO2

Botswana emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Tajikistan emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 2.9 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Botswana, air pollution causes 55.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Tajikistan, it causes 159.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2015). How we calculate this

Tajikistan: At a glance

Tajikistan is a sovereign country in Central Asia, with a total land area of approximately 141,510 sq km. The Tajik people came under Russian rule in the 1860s and 1870s, but Russia's hold on Central Asia weakened following the Revolution of 1917. Bands of indigenous guerrillas (called "basmachi") fiercely contested Bolshevik control of the area, which was not fully reestablished until 1925. Tajikistan was first created as an autonomous republic within Uzbekistan in 1924, but the USSR designated Tajikistan a separate republic in 1929 and transferred to it much of present-day Sughd province. Ethnic Uzbeks form a substantial minority in Tajikistan. Tajikistan became independent in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union, and experienced a civil war between regional factions from 1992 to 1997. Tajikistan endured several domestic security incidents during 2010-12, including armed conflict between government forces and local strongmen in the Rasht Valley and between government forces and criminal groups in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast. The country remains the poorest in the former Soviet sphere. Tajikistan became a member of the World Trade Organization in March 2013. However, its economy continues to face major challenges, including dependence on remittances from Tajikistanis working in Russia, pervasive corruption, and the major role narcotrafficking plays in the country's informal economy.
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How big is Tajikistan compared to Botswana? See an in-depth size comparison.

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