Where is it better to live in Botswana or in USA?
To answer the question - which country - Botswana or USA, is more comfortable for living, let’s compare different constituents which make the standard of living:
Would you like to contrast other countries? Fill them in the proper gaps and choose the criteria for comparison:
Perhaps, it’s difficult to argue that it’s better to live in a rich country than in a poor one. As of 2024 year data, the basic indicator of the economic development - GDP by purchasing power parity per capita - was:
● In Botswana - 20,2 thousand dollars,
● In USA - 84 thousand dollars.
Thus, according to the gross production per one person, USA leaves Botswana behind by %.
Let’s compare the data about average labor level pay in both countries.
The average gross salary (before the taxes and other mandatory fees) is:
● in Botswana - 5,392 pulas (498 US$);
● in USA - 5,407 US dollars.
Where are the prices lower? up↑
The average GDP gap per capita is narrowed down by the difference in cost of living. According to the statistics of the data base Numbeo, at the beginning of 2025 year, Botswana is a cheaper country.
The price level in Botswana for basic goods and services (including food, consumer goods, transport, mobile connection and utility bills) is on average % lower than in USA. In other words, at the current exchange rate 1000 dollars in USA will have the same purchasing power as dollars in Botswana.
Where is the crime rate lower? up↑
One can evaluate the general level of criminal situation with the help of “crime rate”. This indicator is calculated by the portal Numbeo, which specializes in rating scores of different life aspects in all the world regions and shows how safe it is to live in the country from a risk of becoming a victim of lawbreakers (the higher the crime rate is, the higher the risk is). As of 2025 year, the crime rate is:
● in Botswana - 52.7;
● in USA - 49.2
***
To estimate the population law-abidingness and law enforcement activity, let’s pay attention to the statics of premeditated murders and to the data about the number of Botswanans and Americans, being imprisoned.
Yearly out of 100 thousand people, murders kill:
● in Botswana - 10.55 people;
● in USA - 6.38 people
***As of 2023 year, in prisons and criminal camps the number of inmates is:
● in Botswana - 4.34 thousand, or 62 prisoners per 100,000 people;
● in USA - 2200 thousand, or 668 prisoners per 100,000 people
Overall, they kill more often in Botswana, one stays behind the bars more often in USA.
Where do people get sick less and live longer? up↑
The life quality is greatly defined by how long the people live. According to the latest data, the life expectancy is:
● in Botswana - 62.2 years (58.9 years among men and 65.5 years among women)
● in USA - 78.5 years (76.3 years among men and 80.7 years among women)
***
To get an idea about the nation’s health and the system of health care, one should look at the spread of dangerous diseases in the country. Let’s compare where people often suffer from such diseases as HIV-infections, tuberculosis and cancer.
According to the data of the World Health Organization (WHO), the spread of HIV-infections is:
● in Botswana - 340000 of the infected (12.71% of population)
● in USA - 1200000 of the infected (0.36% of population)
The number of people infected by tuberculosis is:
● in Botswana - 5800 people (253 per 100,000 people);
● in USA - 9800 people (3 per 100,000 people)
The cancer situation is the following:
● in Botswana per 100 000 people yearly one finds 109.5 new cases of the disease and registers 63.4 lethal cases;
● in USA per 100k people every year one fixes 362.2 of newly infected people and 86.3 lethal cases from cancer.
We should not judge about the quality of medicine only by the number of cancer cases, we should look at the ratio between the number of new cases and the number of cancer deaths (the lower it is, the higher the rate of the cured ones is; consequently, the better the health care system works). In the countries under consideration, we see the following ratio between the newly-infected and the dead:
● in Botswana - ;
● in USA -
Where do people drink and smoke less? up↑
It’s considered that It’s more comfortable to live in that country where people are less exposed to bad habits. The following WHO data show that the situation with the alcohol consumption (pure alcohol) runs as this:
● in Botswana - 6.6 liters per every person older 15 years old (about 10.9 litres per every man and 2.5 litres per every woman);
● in USA - 9.9 liters per every person older 15 years old (about 15.3 litres per every man and 4.6 litres per every woman)
How noticeable are the differences in alcoholic beverages of the Botswanans and the Americans?
● in Botswana, in terms of pure alcohol, beer accounts for 56% % of consumption, wine accounts for 11.8% of consumption, strong drinks (vodka and cognac, etc.) account for 11.5% of consumption, other drinks (including home-made ones) - 20.7% of consumption;
● in USA beer accounts for 50% from the total amount of alcohol consumption, wine accounts for 17.3%, strong drinks - 32.7%
***
Addiction to smoking in the countries under consideration is seen like that:
● in Botswana there are 18,7 % of active smokers among the adults (30,2 % of adult males and 7,2 % of adult females smoke there);
● in USA 24,3 % of adult population smoke on a constant base (29,9 % of men and 18,7 % of women)
By unit tobacco consumption per capita the leader is USA - here on average every adult smokes 1017 cigarettes per year, against 433 cigarettes per capita in Botswana.
Where do people have more reasons to be satisfied with their lives? up↑
Perhaps, it’s very difficult to make up an indicator, with the help of which one can define how much the people of this or that country are satisfied by their lives. Nevertheless, there have been a couple of researches.
For example, the UN experts calculate a so-called "Rating of countries by the Happiness Index”, which helps to understand to what degree the states provide their citizens with the happy life. As of 2023 data, the happiest ones are Americans, their happiness index is 6.894, meanwhile in Botswana the happiness index is equal to 3.435.
***
There is also an overall index, which is used by UNO - Human Development Index (HDI). This index considers various reasons why citizens feel comfortable. According to 2022 data, HDI in Botswana is 0.693; in USA - 0.921.
***
To indirectly evaluate how much the people are satisfied with their lives, one can consider the number of suicides. It comes logically that the better the lives of the people are arranged, the fewer reasons for the suicides there are. In the countries under consideration, per 100 000 people there are:
● in Botswana - 20,2 suicides (35,5 among men and 7,8 among women) ;
● in USA - 14,5 suicides (22,4 among men and 6,8 among women)
Share with friends!
