Human Development & Quality of Life in Botswana
HDI 0.731 · UNDP rank 111 · latest published data
With HDI 0.731 for 2023, Botswana sits at rank 111 in UNDP's latest table and falls in the high human development group. What makes the country profile more informative than the rank alone is that the GII reading of 0.490 (rank 127) is an important counterpoint to the aggregate HDI. Separately, the income component uses GNI per capita of $16,984 in 2021 PPP dollars.
What sits inside Botswana's HDI
Within the UNDP framework, the UNDP inputs behind Botswana's HDI are 69.2 for life expectancy, 11.4 for expected years of schooling, 10.5 for mean years of schooling and $16,984 GNI per capita in 2021 PPP dollars. These figures show what sits behind the composite score.
Inequality changes the headline
In the UNDP data used here, IHDI is the HDI after allowing for unequal distribution of achievement, for Botswana, it remains an objective development measure rather than a subjective well-being indicator.
Gender and planetary-pressure adjustments
Alongside the headline HDI, the published data for Botswana include GDI 0.997, GII 0.490, PHDI 0.698. These measures remain distinct because they measure different aspects of development. For the evidence on this page, do not substitute a different denominator so the limitation remains visible to the reader.
Quality-of-life coverage is conditional
No dated comparable life-satisfaction figure is included for Botswana in this release.
What Botswana's numbers say together
The supporting measures for Botswana are IHDI 0.509 with a 30.4% loss; PHDI 0.698 after a 4.5% adjustment; GDI 0.997. These measures answer different questions, so they are kept separate.
Within the UNDP framework, the headline UNDP result for Botswana is HDI 0.731, rank 111, for 2023. Broader quality-of-life indicators remain outside that index. For a like-for-like reading, separate the measure from subjective well-being before comparing it with a quality-of-life observation.
The IHDI is 0.509, and UNDP reports an overall loss of 30.4% relative to the headline index.
The GDI value is 0.997 in group 1; it should be read alongside, not merged into, HDI.
The PHDI is 0.698, with a 4.5% adjustment from the HDI value in UNDP's 2023 table.
Frequently asked questions
What is Botswana's HDI?
UNDP's Human Development Report 2025 gives Botswana an HDI of 0.731 for 2023 and rank 111.
How does inequality affect Botswana's HDI?
For Botswana, IHDI is 0.509 and the associated inequality loss is 30.4%. This adjustment concerns the distribution of HDI achievements. For the profile as a whole, distinguish the composite from its components so the comparison remains traceable.
Why is there no life satisfaction score on this page?
This profile does not fill the quality-of-life section for Botswana simply to complete the layout. The absence of a published observation is preserved explicitly.
Is HDI the same as quality of life?
No. HDI is an objective development index based on health, education and income. Quality-of-life evidence is presented alongside HDI only when a comparable observation is available.
Sources & methodology
Sources for the development indicators and definitions shown above.
View sources used for this page
Primary source for 2023 HDI and its components, plus IHDI, GDI, GII and PHDI where reported.
Report edition underlying the 2023 human-development indices and ranking.
Data note: Reference years are shown with each indicator; unavailable observations remain unfilled.