Botswana vs Sweden: Share of population living in rural areas
Botswana
30.8%
in 2020
Sweden
31.2%
in 2020
Botswana rank
90th
Sweden rank
89th
Share of population living in rural areas over time
- Botswana
- Sweden
How they compare
Sweden currently reports 31.2% against 30.8% in Botswana, a difference of 0.4%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Botswana ahead.
Botswana ranks 90th and Sweden ranks 89th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Botswana averaged higher in 4 and Sweden in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Botswana | Sweden | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 52.8% | 39.7% | 13.1% | Botswana |
| 1960s | 49.9% | 38.5% | 11.4% | Botswana |
| 1970s | 48.3% | 37.4% | 10.9% | Botswana |
| 1980s | 39.6% | 37.6% | 2.0% | Botswana |
| 1990s | 35.1% | 36.6% | 1.5% | Sweden |
| 2000s | 32.1% | 34.8% | 2.7% | Sweden |
| 2010s | 30.5% | 32.8% | 2.3% | Sweden |
| 2020s | 30.8% | 31.2% | 0.4% | Sweden |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in rural areas, Botswana or Sweden?
- Sweden, at 31.2% against 30.8% in Botswana as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in rural areas between Botswana and Sweden?
- 0.4%, with Sweden ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Botswana and Sweden?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Botswana and Sweden rank globally for share of population living in rural areas?
- Botswana ranks 90th and Sweden ranks 89th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.