In 2023, the crude birth rate in live births per 1,000 inhabitants in Botswana stood at 24.71. Between 1960 and 2023, the figure dropped by 22.43, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Botswana BW: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data was reported at 2.732 Ratio in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2.785 Ratio for 2022. Botswana BW: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data is updated yearly, averaging 4.310 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6.614 Ratio in 1974 and a record low of 2.732 Ratio in 2023. Botswana BW: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Botswana – Table BW.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.;(1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2024 Revision; (2) Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices; (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics.;Weighted average;Relevance to gender indicator: it can indicate the status of women within households and a woman’s decision about the number and spacing of children.

In 2023, the total fertility rate in children per woman in Botswana amounted to 2.73. Between 1960 and 2023, the figure dropped by 3.87, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Botswana: The number of crude births per 1000 people, per year: The latest value from 2022 is 23.04 births per 1000 people, a decline from 23.58 births per 1000 people in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 18.38 births per 1000 people, based on data from 195 countries. Historically, the average for Botswana from 1960 to 2022 is 35.82 births per 1000 people. The minimum value, 23.04 births per 1000 people, was reached in 2022 while the maximum of 47.09 births per 1000 people was recorded in 1960.

Botswana BW: Adolescent Fertility Rate: Births per 1000 Women Aged 15-19 data was reported at 53.805 Ratio in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 54.585 Ratio for 2022. Botswana BW: Adolescent Fertility Rate: Births per 1000 Women Aged 15-19 data is updated yearly, averaging 97.781 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 148.364 Ratio in 1976 and a record low of 49.926 Ratio in 2017. Botswana BW: Adolescent Fertility Rate: Births per 1000 Women Aged 15-19 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Botswana – Table BW.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Adolescent fertility rate is the number of births per 1,000 women ages 15-19.;United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects.;Weighted average;This is the Sustainable Development Goal indicator 3.7.2 [https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/].

The infant mortality rate in Botswana declined to 38.2 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023. Therefore, 2023 marks the lowest infant mortality rate during the observed period. Notably, the infant mortality rate is continuously decreasing over the last years.The infant mortality rate is the number of newborns who do not survive past the first 12 months of life. This is generally expressed as a value per 1,000 live births, and also includes neonatal mortality (deaths within the first 28 days of life).Find more statistics on other topics about Botswana with key insights such as crude birth rate, total life expectancy at birth, and total fertility rate.

Botswana BW: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 24.713 Ratio in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 25.253 Ratio for 2022. Botswana BW: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 32.594 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 47.140 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 24.713 Ratio in 2023. Botswana BW: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Botswana – Table BW.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Crude birth rate indicates the number of live births occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.;(1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2024 Revision; (2) Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices; (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics; (4) United Nations Statistics Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years).;Weighted average;

In 2023, the death rate in deaths per 1,000 inhabitants in Botswana was ****. Between 1960 and 2023, the figure dropped by *****, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Botswana BW: Total Fertility Rate: Children per Woman data was reported at 2.790 Person in 2021. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2.840 Person for 2020. Botswana BW: Total Fertility Rate: Children per Woman data is updated yearly, averaging 3.080 Person from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2021, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.490 Person in 1990 and a record low of 2.790 Person in 2021. Botswana BW: Total Fertility Rate: Children per Woman data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Botswana – Table BW.OECD.GGI: Social: Demography: Non OECD Member: Annual.

Abstract

The BFHS-II was a national sample survey designed to provide information on fertility, family planning, and health in Botswana. The BFHS-II involved interviewing a randomly selected group of women between 15 and 49 years of age. These women were asked questions about their background, the children they had given births to, their knowledge and use of family planning methods, some health matters and other information which will be helpful to policy-makers and administrators in the health and family planning areas.

The objectives of the BFHS-II are to provide information on family planning awareness, approval and use, basic indicators of maternal and child health, and other topics related to family health. In addition, the BFHS-II complements the data collected in the BDS, by obtaining information needed to explore trends in fertility and mortality, and to examine the factors that influence these basic demographic indicators, particularly, the proximate determinants of fertility.

Specific objectives are: - To collect information on fertility and family planning; - To find out what type of women are likely to have more or fewer children or to use or not use family planning; - To collect information on certain health-related matters such as antenatal checkups, supervised deliveries, postnatal care, brcastfeeding, immunisation, and diarrhoea treatment; - To develop skills in conducting periodic surveys designed to monitor changes in demographic rates, health status, and the use of family planning; and - To provide internationally comparable data which can be used by researchers investigating topics related to fertility, mortality and maternal-child health.

MAIN RESULTS

• The BFHS-II found that current fertility levels in Botswana remain high; however, the results show a decline in fertility in recent years.
• The BFHS-II found that traditional practices of breastfeeding and post-partum abstinence continue to be important factors in protecting women from a subsequent pregnancy. However, there is evidence that the duration of these practices is being curtailed among urban women.
• Knowledge of family planning methods and of places to obtain them is critical in the decision whether to use family planning and which method to use. The BFHS-II found that the MCH/FP programme has been quite successful in educating women about family planning.
• Use of contraception is the most important measurement of success in a family planning programme. The BFHS-II found that more than half of Batswana women have used a modern method of family planning at sometime and three out of ten women are currently using a contraceptive method to delay or avoid a birth.
• The BFHS-II found that women who are not currently using family planning, but do not wish to become pregnant soon, report a number of barriers to using family planning. A significant number of these women do intend to use family planning in the future.
• The BFHS-II also looked at the issue of women's perceptions about their partner's attitudes toward family planning. Within couples, male approval is much lower than that of females, although the reported level of partner's approval has increased since 1984.
• The BFHS-II results suggest that Batswana women have a growing interest in spacing births but continue to have a preference for many children.
• The BFHS-II documents that many women had a birth sooner that they would have liked although only a minority of women had another birth when they preferred not to have any more children.
• Women can be considered in need of family planning if they are not currently using a method of contraception and either want no more births or want to postpone the next birth for two or more years. The BFHS-II found that 45 percent of women in union are in need of family planning.
• Since teenage pregnancy places the health and welfare of teenagers and their births at risk, the Government of Botswana encourages women to wait until age 20 before their first pregnancy. The BFHS-II found that nearly one-quarter of teenagers had at least one birth and an additional 5 percent were pregnant with their first child at the time of the survey.
• The BFHS-II also documents that the MCH/FP programme has made a successful contribution to the reduction of infant and child mortality, though children of mothers with no education and children born soon after a previous birth have higher mortality rates.
• The BFHS-II documents that maternal and child health services are widely used by women in Botswana and the programme has expanded significantly since 1984.
• The BFHS-II found that a significant proportion of ill children received appropriate treatment. Although a large proportion of children who suffered from diarrhoea were treated with oral rehydration therapy, of concern is the significant proportion for whom fluid and food intake was cut down during the diarrhoeal episode.
• The BFHS-II included questions on knowledge of AIDS, the ways the disease is transmitted, who is at highest risk, and behaviors that will help someone avoid the disease. In the absence of either a vaccine or a cure for AIDS, education about prevention is the main strategy for combatting the epidemic. Nearly all women interviewed in the BFHS-II had heard of AIDS. However, many women lack correct information or have misconceptions about the disease.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The results of the 1984 BFHS showed that the Botswana MCH/FP programme has made considerable progress in providing health and contraceptive services to women of childbearing age. The 1988 BFHS (BFHS-II) confirms this and documents the further progress made between 1984 and 1988. The results of the BFHS-II indicate that utilization of MCH services has increased, along with knowledge and use of family planning. However, the 1988 findings also point to areas of the MCH/FP programme that need improvement.

I. An area where additional effort is needed is in Information, Education, and Communication (also recommended in 1984): - Counselling services should be strengthened so that they are better able to disseminate information about family planning and dispel misconceptions women have regarding the use of contraception. The strengthening of the services should be targeted not only towards clients but also health workers. - Information, education, and communication (IEC) activities at the district level need strengthening by training or designating officers specifically to carry out these services.

II. Outstanding recommendations from the 1984 BFHS should continue to receive emphasis: - Further efforts should be directed toward educating and counseling teenagers (both boys and girls) about responsible sexual behavior. - Additional attention should be placed on informing men about the health and other benefits of family planning. Emphasis should be placed on the importance of couple communication in this area and on the fact that childbearing is the joint responsibility of the couple and not the choice of the man or woman alone. - Stress should continue to be placed on the health benefits of traditional practices such as breastfeeding and post-partum abstinence.

IEC materials targeting special population subgroups, e.g., illiterate women, should be developed. - Emphasis should be placed on identifying women in need of family planning services, particularly those concerned about limiting their family size. Counseling about family planning during the provision of antenatal and post-partum services is a key mechanism in reaching these women. - Potential acceptors should be counseled about the most appropriate methods for their age, life situation and fertility intentions. - Research should be undertaken to further investigate the determinants and consequences of adolescent childbearing. - Acceptors should be informed about possible side effects associated with the method they adopt, and follow-up of acceptors should be emphasized to reduce the levels of discontinuation due to side effects.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

• Household
• Women age 15-49

Universe

The population covered by the 1994 ZDHS is defined as the universe of all eligible women, defined as those age 15-49 years who spent the night prior to the household interview in the selected household, irrespective of whether they were usual members of the household.

Kind of data

Sample survey data

Sampling procedure

Comparison of the age distribution of the women in the BFHS-II sample with the distribution of women 15-49 in the 1981 census and 1984 Botswana Family Health Survey (BFHS). The BFHS-II sample has a greater concentration of women at the ages 20-34 than the other two data sets. There is apparent under-sampling of teenagers in both the 1984 BFHS and the 1988 BFHS-II. An examination of the distribution of household members by age and sex enumerated in the BFHS-II household listing indicates a greater than expected number of women in the 10- 14 age group for females and a dearth in the 15-19 age group. Some interviewers may have recorded women in the 15-19 year age group as having a younger age in the household listing in order to make them ineligible for the individual interview and thus lighten their work load. Similarly, it was also found that females in the 45-49 age group was under-enumerated relative to the 50-54 age group.

The greater concentration of women in the prime reproductive ages in the BFHS-II may also result from the fact that interviewers were more successful in interviewing women in selected households in the urban areas, where more young women are found. One consequence of the greater concentration of younger women is that estimates of contraceptive prevalence may be higher, and

Botswana BW: Mortality Rate: Under-5: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 39.600 Ratio in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 40.700 Ratio for 2022. Botswana BW: Mortality Rate: Under-5: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 68.000 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 167.700 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 39.600 Ratio in 2023. Botswana BW: Mortality Rate: Under-5: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Botswana – Table BW.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Under-five mortality rate is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to age-specific mortality rates of the specified year.;Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.;Weighted average;Given that data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases are frequently unavailable, mortality rates are often used to identify vulnerable populations. Moreover, they are among the indicators most frequently used to compare socioeconomic development across countries. Under-five mortality rates are higher for boys than for girls in countries in which parental gender preferences are insignificant. Under-five mortality captures the effect of gender discrimination better than infant mortality does, as malnutrition and medical interventions have more significant impacts to this age group. Where female under-five mortality is higher, girls are likely to have less access to resources than boys. Aggregate data for LIC, UMC, LMC, HIC are computed based on the groupings for the World Bank fiscal year in which the data was released by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation. This is the Sustainable Development Goal indicator 3.2.1[https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/].

In 2023, the infant mortality rate in deaths per 1,000 live births in Botswana was 38.2. Between 1960 and 2023, the figure dropped by 79.4, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

In 2023, the annual population growth in Botswana amounted to 1.64 percent. Between 1961 and 2023, the figure dropped by 0.62 percentage points, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Botswana BW: Mortality Rate: Neonatal: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 20.900 Ratio in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 21.200 Ratio for 2022. Botswana BW: Mortality Rate: Neonatal: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 23.400 Ratio from Dec 1965 (Median) to 2023, with 59 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 40.300 Ratio in 1965 and a record low of 10.600 Ratio in 1999. Botswana BW: Mortality Rate: Neonatal: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Botswana – Table BW.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Neonatal mortality rate is the number of neonates dying before reaching 28 days of age, per 1,000 live births in a given year.;Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.;Weighted average;Given that data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases are frequently unavailable, mortality rates are often used to identify vulnerable populations. Moreover, they are among the indicators most frequently used to compare socioeconomic development across countries. Aggregate data for LIC, UMC, LMC, HIC are computed based on the groupings for the World Bank fiscal year in which the data was released by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation. This is the Sustainable Development Goal indicator 3.2.2 [https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/].

Botswana BW: Maternal Mortality Ratio: National Estimate: per 100,000 Live Births data was reported at 158.000 Ratio in 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 172.000 Ratio for 2017. Botswana BW: Maternal Mortality Ratio: National Estimate: per 100,000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 173.000 Ratio from Dec 2006 (Median) to 2018, with 13 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 215.000 Ratio in 2009 and a record low of 140.000 Ratio in 2015. Botswana BW: Maternal Mortality Ratio: National Estimate: per 100,000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Botswana – Table BW.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Maternal mortality ratio is the number of women who die from pregnancy-related causes while pregnant or within 42 days of pregnancy termination per 100,000 live births.;The country data compiled, adjusted and used in the estimation model by the Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG). The country data were compiled from the following sources: civil registration and vital statistics; specialized studies on maternal mortality; population based surveys and censuses; other available data sources including data from surveillance sites.;;

Botswana BW: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 5.724 Ratio in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 5.826 Ratio for 2022. Botswana BW: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 9.976 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16.412 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 5.724 Ratio in 2023. Botswana BW: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Botswana – Table BW.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Crude death rate indicates the number of deaths occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.;(1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2024 Revision; (2) Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices; (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics; (4) United Nations Statistics Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years).;Weighted average;