Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Botswana instead of Poland, you would:
Health
be 38.9% less likely to die by suicide
Poland has a suicide rate of 13.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Botswana, it is 8.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.1 years less
In Poland, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 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 66.8% less spent on your healthcare
Poland spends $3,939 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Botswana spends $1,310 as of 2023.
have 90.6% fewer doctors per person
Poland has 40.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Botswana has 3.8 as of 2023.
have 32.9% less access to essential health services
Poland scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Botswana scores 55 as of 2021.
Economy
be 8.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Poland, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Botswana, that number is 24.5% as of 2025.
make 72.6% less money
Poland has a GDP per capita of $28,420 as of 2025, while in Botswana, the GDP per capita is $7,778 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.5 times more children
In Poland, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Botswana, there are 24.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 77.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Poland, approximately 2.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Botswana, 155.0 women do as of 2023.
be 8.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Poland, approximately 3.6 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 Poland, 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 35.1% less likely to have internet access
In Poland, approximately 88.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Botswana, about 57.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 22.3% less on healthcare
Poland spends 8.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 6.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 87.0% more on education
Poland spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Botswana spends 8.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
Safety
be 14.2 times more likely to be murdered
Poland has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. 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 Poland, road accidents kill 6.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Botswana, they kill 16.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 93.1% less strain on fresh water
Poland withdraws 32% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Botswana withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 70.7% less home broadband
Poland has 25.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Botswana has 7.4 as of 2024.
use 62.4% less electricity
Poland uses 4,370 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Botswana uses 1,641 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 63.7% less CO2
Poland emits 7.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Botswana emits 2.7 tonnes as of 2024.
be 34.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In Poland, air pollution causes 41.0 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Poland vs. Botswana
Botswana: At a glance
How big is Botswana compared to Poland? See an in-depth size comparison.