Botswana vs South Africa: Life expectancy
Botswana
61.23 Years
in 2021
South Africa
61.5 Years
in 2021
Botswana rank
170th
South Africa rank
168th
Life expectancy over time
- Botswana
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 61.5 Years against 61.23 Years in Botswana, a difference of 0.27 Years.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 22 shared years of data; in 2000 it was South Africa ahead.
Botswana ranks 170th and South Africa ranks 168th of 185 countries.
Across the 3 decades both report, Botswana averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Botswana | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 51.67 Years | 53.87 Years | 2.21 Years | South Africa |
| 2010s | 61.63 Years | 62.49 Years | 0.8641 Years | South Africa |
| 2020s | 63.2 Years | 62.9 Years | 0.2984 Years | Botswana |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher life expectancy, Botswana or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 61.5 Years against 61.23 Years in Botswana as of 2021.
- What is the difference in life expectancy between Botswana and South Africa?
- 0.27 Years, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Botswana and South Africa?
- 22 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2021.
- How do Botswana and South Africa rank globally for life expectancy?
- Botswana ranks 170th and South Africa ranks 168th of 185 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Life expectancy. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The period life expectancy at birth, in a given year.