It could take Botswana 58 years to double its population, census results show
- Botswana’s population is growing at around 1.4% per year, with preliminary results putting it at 2,346,179.
- There are estimated to be 8,279 Batswana in the diaspora, up from 23,032 in 2011.
- There are on average 3.3 people per household, but the figures also show that households in rural areas are larger than in cities.
It will likely take 58 years for Botswana to double its population from the current 2,346,179 estimated from the recently conducted census, according to Statistics Botswana.
Statistics Botswana conducted a census exercise in early April and preliminary results released on Monday estimated an annual growth of 1.4%.
“Botswana’s population continues to grow, albeit at a decreasing rate. The population grew from 2,024,904 in 2011 to 2,346,179 in 2022, an increase of 15.9% over the period between the two censuses.
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“The annual population growth rate between 2011 and 2022 is estimated at 1.4%, indicating a decline from the 1.9% estimated in 2011. The current growth rate follows the previous trend showing a decline to from 4.6% in 1981, 3.5% in 1991, 2.4% in 2001 to 1.9% in 2011. At the current rate of growth, Botswana’s population will take about 58 years to double current,” the organization said in its interim results.
The overall density of the country fell from 2.9 inhabitants per square kilometer in 2001 to 3.6 in 2011 and 4.1 in 2022.
Compared to other Southern African countries, Botswana remains a sparsely populated country given its vast land area and small population, comparable only to Namibia with a population density of three people per square kilometer.
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The census also noted a reduction in household size compared to the previous census in 2011. The average average was 3.3 people per household compared to 3.7 in 2011.
The census also estimated that there were 8,279 citizens outside the country, a drop from 23,032 in 2011, “probably attributed to global issues related to Covid-19, as well as a drop in the number of government-sponsored students studying abroad.
Burton Mguni, the general statistician, said it was the first time the country had used digital technology, from the mapping stage in the field to the enumeration stage.
As such, the preliminary results weren’t far off the mark.
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