Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United States instead of Botswana, you would:
Health
live 15.0 years longer
In Botswana, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2022. In United States, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022.
be 91.5% more likely to be obese
In Botswana, 18.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In United States, that number is 36.2% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 4.2 times more money
Botswana has a GDP per capita of $18,100 as of 2024, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $75,500 as of 2024.
be 81.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Botswana, 23.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2024. In United States, that number is 4.2% as of 2024.
pay a 58.4% higher top tax rate
Botswana has a top tax rate of 25.0% as of 2016. In United States, the top tax rate is 39.6% as of 2016.
Life
be 89.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Botswana, approximately 155.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2023. In United States, 17.0 women do as of 2023.
be 79.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Botswana, approximately 25.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In United States, on the other hand, 5.2 children do as of 2022.
have 49.2% fewer children
In Botswana, there are approximately 21.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2025. In United States, there are 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2025.
Basic Needs
be 31.8% more likely to have access to electricity
In Botswana, approximately 76% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In United States, 100% of the population do as of 2022.
be 14.8% more likely to have internet access
In Botswana, approximately 81.0% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In United States, about 93.0% do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 29.9% less on education
Botswana spends 8.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. United States spends 6.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 3.0 times more on healthcare
Botswana spends 6.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In United States, that number is 18.8% of GDP as of 2020.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Botswana Unified Revenue Service, Internal Revenue Service.
United States: At a glance
How big is United States compared to Botswana? See an in-depth size comparison.