Moving to North Korea from Botswana
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Botswana to North Korea — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Botswana to North Korea, and you’d need to navigate life in Korean. You’ll also switch from driving on the left to the right. Expect a noticeable climate shift — P'yongyang averages 60°F vs 83°F in Gaborone, making it significantly cooler.
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Key Indicator Comparison
How Botswana and North Korea stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
How's the healthcare?
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
North Korea generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Botswana leads in suicide rate.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Botswana generally does better on environment, though North Korea leads in co₂ emissions per capita.
Will I have good infrastructure?
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
Botswana performs better than North Korea across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
North Korea performs significantly better than Botswana across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
percentage of adults who can read and write
North Korea performs significantly better than Botswana across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2015). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Gaborone | P'yongyang |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 88°/66°F (31°/19°C) | 38°/20°F (4°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 77°/48°F (25°/9°C) | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 79°/47°F (26°/8°C) | 81°/65°F (27°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 89°/64°F (32°/18°C) | 50°/31°F (10°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Gaborone | P'yongyang |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 90°/67°F (32.5°/19.4°C) | 31°/13°F (-0.8°/-10.7°C) |
| Feb | 89°/67°F (31.5°/19.3°C) | 36°/18°F (2.4°/-7.8°C) |
| Mar | 86°/63°F (30.2°/17.4°C) | 48°/29°F (8.9°/-1.8°C) |
| Apr | 82°/56°F (27.8°/13.4°C) | 63°/41°F (17.1°/4.9°C) |
| May | 78°/47°F (25.4°/8.3°C) | 73°/52°F (22.6°/10.9°C) |
| Jun | 72°/40°F (22.5°/4.6°C) | 80°/62°F (26.7°/16.5°C) |
| Jul | 73°/40°F (22.8°/4.6°C) | 83°/69°F (28.6°/20.7°C) |
| Aug | 78°/46°F (25.7°/7.6°C) | 84°/69°F (28.9°/20.5°C) |
| Sep | 85°/54°F (29.6°/12.5°C) | 76°/58°F (24.7°/14.3°C) |
| Oct | 88°/61°F (31.0°/16.2°C) | 65°/44°F (18.2°/6.7°C) |
| Nov | 89°/64°F (31.5°/17.9°C) | 49°/31°F (9.4°/-0.3°C) |
| Dec | 90°/66°F (32.3°/18.8°C) | 35°/19°F (1.7°/-7.2°C) |
Botswana Meteorological ServicesVisitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Botswana and North Korea. To live, work, or study long-term in North Korea, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check North Korea's immigration authority.
Botswana passport holder visiting North Korea
Visa Required
North Korea passport holder visiting Botswana
Visa Online (e-Visa)Data: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work remotely from North Korea?
Working remotely from North Korea's major cities is generally feasible. The legal layer matters more — visa category, employer policy on overseas employees, and tax residency in Botswana and North Korea.
How is healthcare in North Korea compared to Botswana?
North Korea generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Botswana leads in suicide rate. There are 36.3 doctors per 10,000 people in North Korea, compared to 3.8 in Botswana. North Korea scores 68 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Botswana: 55).
What's the weather like in North Korea compared to Botswana?
The average high temperature in P'yongyang is 60°F, compared to 83°F in Gaborone. P'yongyang receives around 37.0 in of rainfall per year, while Gaborone gets 21.7 in.
What language do they speak in North Korea?
The official language in North Korea is Korean. In Botswana, the official languages are English and Tswana.
