Botswana vs South Africa: Life expectancy
Botswana
65.65 years
in 2020
South Africa
65.25 years
in 2020
Botswana rank
123rd
South Africa rank
126th
Life expectancy over time
- Botswana
- South Africa
How they compare
Botswana currently reports 65.65 years against 65.25 years in South Africa, a difference of 0.4 years.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 24 shared years of data; in 1870 it was South Africa ahead.
Botswana ranks 123rd and South Africa ranks 126th of 162 countries.
Across the 15 decades both report, Botswana averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 12.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Botswana | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 25 years | 30 years | 5 years | South Africa |
| 1880s | 25 years | 31.3 years | 6.3 years | South Africa |
| 1890s | 30.1 years | 33.7 years | 3.6 years | South Africa |
| 1900s | 31.3 years | 35 years | 3.7 years | South Africa |
| 1910s | 32.88 years | 36.19 years | 3.3 years | South Africa |
| 1920s | 32.24 years | 37.25 years | 5.01 years | South Africa |
| 1930s | 32.3 years | 39.05 years | 6.75 years | South Africa |
| 1950s | 44 years | 46.5 years | 2.5 years | South Africa |
| 1960s | 47.83 years | 50.15 years | 2.32 years | South Africa |
| 1970s | 53.5 years | 54.13 years | 0.6275 years | South Africa |
| 1980s | 61.62 years | 58.15 years | 3.46 years | Botswana |
| 1990s | 57.8 years | 62.82 years | 5.02 years | South Africa |
| 2000s | 51.81 years | 56.23 years | 4.41 years | South Africa |
| 2010s | 61.92 years | 61.42 years | 0.4915 years | Botswana |
| 2020s | 65.65 years | 65.25 years | 0.3949 years | Botswana |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher life expectancy, Botswana or South Africa?
- Botswana, at 65.65 years against 65.25 years in South Africa as of 2020.
- What is the difference in life expectancy between Botswana and South Africa?
- 0.4 years, with Botswana ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Botswana and South Africa?
- 24 years are reported by both, from 1870 to 2020.
- How do Botswana and South Africa rank globally for life expectancy?
- Botswana ranks 123rd and South Africa ranks 126th of 162 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – 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
Average number of years a newborn would live if age-specific mortality rates in the current year were to stay the same throughout its life.