Fertility rate: births per woman in Botswana
Botswana: Fertility rate: births per woman was 2.73 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
2.73 live births per woman
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
68th
of 236 countries
All-time high
6.62 live births per woman
in 1958
All-time low
2.73 live births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Fertility rate: births per woman in Botswana, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
The most recent figure for fertility rate: births per woman in Botswana is 2.73 live births per woman, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.9% on the previous year and down 10.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in Botswana peaked at 6.62 live births per woman in 1958 and was at its lowest, 2.73 live births per woman, in 2023.
That places Botswana 68th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Fertility rate: births per woman in Botswana, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 6.43 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 6.44 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1952 | 6.44 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 6.47 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1954 | 6.51 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1955 | 6.55 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1956 | 6.58 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1957 | 6.62 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1958 | 6.62 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1959 | 6.62 live births per woman | -0.0% |
| 1960 | 6.59 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1961 | 6.56 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1962 | 6.54 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1963 | 6.58 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 6.61 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1965 | 6.6 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1966 | 6.61 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 6.6 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1968 | 6.58 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1969 | 6.56 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 6.55 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1971 | 6.54 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1972 | 6.56 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 6.59 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 6.61 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 6.61 live births per woman | -0.0% |
| 1976 | 6.6 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1977 | 6.54 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1978 | 6.48 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1979 | 6.39 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 1980 | 6.29 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 1981 | 6.16 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 1982 | 5.97 live births per woman | -3.1% |
| 1983 | 5.79 live births per woman | -3.1% |
| 1984 | 5.62 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 1985 | 5.48 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1986 | 5.33 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 1987 | 5.1 live births per woman | -4.3% |
| 1988 | 4.88 live births per woman | -4.4% |
| 1989 | 4.67 live births per woman | -4.3% |
| 1990 | 4.51 live births per woman | -3.4% |
| 1991 | 4.37 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 1992 | 4.25 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 4.15 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1994 | 4.02 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 1995 | 3.79 live births per woman | -5.7% |
| 1996 | 3.57 live births per woman | -5.8% |
| 1997 | 3.43 live births per woman | -4.0% |
| 1998 | 3.36 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1999 | 3.31 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 3.29 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 3.25 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 3.17 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 3.11 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 3.06 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 3.08 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 3.11 live births per woman | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 3.13 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 3.13 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 3.13 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 3.13 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 3.1 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 3.07 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 3.04 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 3.03 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 3.01 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 2.99 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 2.97 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 2.94 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 2.91 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 2.86 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 2.83 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 2.79 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 2.73 live births per woman | -1.9% |
Botswana compared with similar countries
- Botswana's 2.73 live births per woman is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.82 live births per woman, 1.5× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Botswana's 2.73 live births per woman is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4 live births per woman, 68% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.53 live births per woman | 6.43 live births per woman | 6.62 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.58 live births per woman | 6.54 live births per woman | 6.61 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.55 live births per woman | 6.39 live births per woman | 6.61 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.53 live births per woman | 4.67 live births per woman | 6.29 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.88 live births per woman | 3.31 live births per woman | 4.51 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.15 live births per woman | 3.06 live births per woman | 3.29 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.02 live births per woman | 2.91 live births per woman | 3.13 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.8 live births per woman | 2.73 live births per woman | 2.86 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
- 65 Eswatini 2.75 live births per woman compare
- 66 Egypt 2.75 live births per woman compare
- 67 Micronesia (country) 2.75 live births per woman compare
- 69 Saint Martin (French part) 2.72 live births per woman compare
- 70 Syria 2.71 live births per woman compare
- 71 East Timor 2.71 live births per woman compare
More population data for Botswana
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.1457 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.7791 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.1457 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.0624 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 3,679 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 1.39 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.6864 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.2% (2100)
- Population density 6.77 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 208,485 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate: births per woman in Botswana?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in Botswana was 2.73 live births per woman in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 6.62 live births per woman in 1958.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.73 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does Botswana rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- Botswana ranks 68th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Botswana data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate: births per woman. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total fertility rate: the average number of children a woman would have if she experienced the year's age-specific birth rates throughout her childbearing years.