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

Health

be 93.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Botswana, 15.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 1.0% of people as of 2024.

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live 7.3 years longer

In Botswana, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 77 years (72 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 17.3% less likely to be obese

In Botswana, 19.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 16.4% of people as of 2024.

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have 42.7% more doctors per person

Botswana has 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Thailand has 5.4 as of 2021.

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have 49.1% more access to essential health services

Botswana scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Thailand scores 82 as of 2021.

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see 18.5% less spent on your healthcare

Botswana spends $1,310 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Thailand spends $1,067 as of 2023.

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be 98.7% more likely to die by suicide

Botswana has a suicide rate of 8.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Thailand, it is 16.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 96.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Botswana, 24.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Thailand, that number is 0.8% as of 2025.

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Life

be 78.1% 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 Thailand, 34.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 76.0% 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 Thailand, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2024.

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have 66.7% fewer children

In Botswana, there are approximately 24.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Thailand, there are 8.1 babies per 1,000 people 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 Thailand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 58.1% more likely to have internet access

In Botswana, approximately 57.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Thailand, about 90.9% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 68.7% less on education

Botswana spends 8.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Thailand spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 27.5% less on healthcare

Botswana spends 6.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Thailand, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 53.9% more likely to die in a road accident

In Botswana, road accidents kill 16.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Thailand, they kill 25.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 2.0 times more home broadband

Botswana has 7.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Thailand has 14.9 as of 2024.

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use 80.7% more electricity

Botswana uses 1,641 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Thailand uses 2,965 kWh as of 2023.

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live with 10.3 times more strain on fresh water

Botswana withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Thailand withdraws 23% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 47.3% less likely to die from air pollution

In Botswana, air pollution causes 55.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Thailand, it causes 29.0 as of 2019.

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emit 44.5% more CO2

Botswana emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Thailand emits 4.0 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Thailand: At a glance

Thailand is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 510,890 sq km. A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a US treaty ally in 1954 after sending troops to Korea and later fighting alongside the United States in Vietnam. Thailand since 2005 has experienced several rounds of political turmoil including a military coup in 2006 that ousted then Prime Minister THAKSIN Chinnawat, followed by large-scale street protests by competing political factions in 2008, 2009, and 2010. THAKSIN's youngest sister, YINGLAK Chinnawat, in 2011 led the Puea Thai Party to an electoral win and assumed control of the government. A blanket amnesty bill for individuals involved in street protests, altered at the last minute to include all political crimes - including all convictions against THAKSIN - triggered months of large-scale anti-government protests in Bangkok beginning in November 2013. In early May 2014 YINGLAK was removed from office and in late May 2014 the Royal Thai Army staged a coup against the caretaker government. Thailand has also experienced violence associated with the ethno-nationalist insurgency in Thailand's southern Malay-Muslim majority provinces. Since January 2004, thousands have been killed and wounded in the insurgency.
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