If you lived in Senegal instead of Botswana, you would:

Health

be 98.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Botswana, 19.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Senegal, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2020.

live 4.3 years longer

In Botswana, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2022. In Senegal, that number is 70 years (68 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2022.

be 53.4% less likely to be obese

In Botswana, 18.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Senegal, that number is 8.8% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 87.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Botswana, 23.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Senegal, that number is 2.9% as of 2023.

make 74.9% less money

Botswana has a GDP per capita of $17,500 as of 2023, while in Senegal, the GDP per capita is $4,400 as of 2023.

be 2.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Botswana, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2015. In Senegal, however, that number is 46.7% as of 2011.

pay a 60.0% higher top tax rate

Botswana has a top tax rate of 25.0% as of 2016. In Senegal, the top tax rate is 40.0% as of 2016.

Life

have 54.1% more children

In Botswana, there are approximately 19.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Senegal, there are 30.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 40.3% more likely to die during childbirth

In Botswana, approximately 186.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Senegal, 261.0 women do as of 2020.

be 36.4% less likely to be literate

In Botswana, the literacy rate is 88.5% as of 2015. In Senegal, it is 56.3% as of 2021.

be 28.8% more likely to die during infancy

In Botswana, approximately 25.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Senegal, on the other hand, 32.4 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 10.5% less likely to have access to electricity

In Botswana, approximately 76% of people have electricity access (93% in urban areas, and 25% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Senegal, that number is 68% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 43% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 21.6% less likely to have internet access

In Botswana, approximately 74.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Senegal, about 58.0% do as of 2021.

be 12.2% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Botswana, approximately 99% of people have improved drinking water access (98% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Senegal, that number is 87% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 79% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 36.8% less on education

Botswana spends 8.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Senegal spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 16.1% less on healthcare

Botswana spends 6.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Senegal, that number is 5.2% of GDP as of 2020.


The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Botswana Unified Revenue Service, Direction Generale des Impots et des Domaines.

Senegal: At a glance

Senegal is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 192,530 sq km. The French colonies of Senegal and the French Sudan were merged in 1959 and granted their independence as the Mali Federation in 1960. The union broke up after only a few months. Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982. The envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. The Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance (MFDC) has led a low-level separatist insurgency in southern Senegal since the 1980s, and several peace deals have failed to resolve the conflict. Nevertheless, Senegal remains one of the most stable democracies in Africa and has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping and regional mediation. Senegal was ruled by a Socialist Party for 40 years until Abdoulaye WADE was elected president in 2000. He was reelected in 2007 and during his two terms amended Senegal's constitution over a dozen times to increase executive power and to weaken the opposition. His decision to run for a third presidential term sparked a large public backlash that led to his defeat in a March 2012 runoff election with Macky SALL.
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How big is Senegal compared to Botswana? See an in-depth size comparison.

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