Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Botswana instead of New Zealand, you would:
Health
be 41.8% less likely to be obese
In New Zealand, 34.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 19.8% of people as of 2024.
be 29.9% less likely to die by suicide
New Zealand has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Botswana, it is 8.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 157.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In New Zealand, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 15.7% of people as of 2024.
live 12.7 years less
In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
see 76.5% less spent on your healthcare
New Zealand spends $5,576 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Botswana spends $1,310 as of 2023.
have 89.5% fewer doctors per person
New Zealand has 36.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Botswana has 3.8 as of 2023.
have 35.3% less access to essential health services
New Zealand scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Botswana scores 55 as of 2021.
Economy
be 4.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In New Zealand, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Botswana, that number is 24.5% as of 2025.
make 84.3% less money
New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $49,591 as of 2025, while in Botswana, the GDP per capita is $7,778 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.2 times more children
In New Zealand, there are approximately 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Botswana, there are 24.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 22.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In New Zealand, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Botswana, 155.0 women do as of 2023.
be 8.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In New Zealand, approximately 4.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Botswana, on the other hand, 32.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 24.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In New Zealand, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Botswana, that number is 76% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 25% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 38.6% less likely to have internet access
In New Zealand, approximately 93.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Botswana, about 57.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 37.8% less on healthcare
New Zealand spends 10.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 6.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 54.7% more on education
New Zealand spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Botswana spends 8.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
Safety
be 7.8 times more likely to be murdered
New Zealand has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Botswana, that number is 11.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In New Zealand, road accidents kill 6.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Botswana, they kill 16.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 72.3% less strain on fresh water
New Zealand withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Botswana withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 80.4% less home broadband
New Zealand has 38.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Botswana has 7.4 as of 2024.
use 79.5% less electricity
New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Botswana uses 1,641 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 54.4% less CO2
New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Botswana emits 2.7 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In New Zealand, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Botswana, it causes 55.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: New Zealand vs. Botswana
Botswana: At a glance
How big is Botswana compared to New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.