Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Botswana instead of Saudi Arabia, you would:
Health
be 50.6% less likely to be obese
In Saudi Arabia, 40.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 19.8% of people as of 2024.
be 157.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Saudi Arabia, 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 9.7 years less
In Saudi Arabia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 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 62.3% less spent on your healthcare
Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Botswana spends $1,310 as of 2023.
have 88.9% fewer doctors per person
Saudi Arabia has 34.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Botswana has 3.8 as of 2023.
have 25.7% less access to essential health services
Saudi Arabia scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Botswana scores 55 as of 2021.
be 8.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Saudi Arabia has a suicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Botswana, it is 8.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 8.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Saudi Arabia, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Botswana, that number is 24.5% as of 2025.
make 77.5% less money
Saudi Arabia has a GDP per capita of $34,537 as of 2025, while in Botswana, the GDP per capita is $7,778 as of 2025.
Life
have 47.6% more children
In Saudi Arabia, there are approximately 16.5 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 Saudi Arabia, 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 6.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 4.7 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 Saudi Arabia, 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 42.5% less likely to have internet access
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Botswana, about 57.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 79.9% more on education
Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Botswana spends 8.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 10.0% more on healthcare
Saudi Arabia spends 5.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Botswana, that number is 6.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 10.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Saudi Arabia, road accidents kill 18.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Botswana, they kill 16.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 12.1 times more likely to be murdered
Saudi Arabia has a homicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Botswana, that number is 11.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.8% less strain on fresh water
Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Botswana withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 83.1% less home broadband
Saudi Arabia has 44.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Botswana has 7.4 as of 2024.
use 86.2% less electricity
Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Botswana uses 1,641 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 39.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Saudi Arabia, air pollution causes 91.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Botswana, it causes 55.0 as of 2019.
emit 85.2% less CO2
Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Botswana emits 2.7 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Saudi Arabia vs. Botswana
Botswana: At a glance
How big is Botswana compared to Saudi Arabia? See an in-depth size comparison.