Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015 151 KEY FACTS Joined Commonwealth: 1966 Population: 2,021,000 (2013) GDP p.c. growth: 2.8% p.a. 1990–2013 GNI p.c.: US$7,730 (2013) UN HDI 2014: World ranking 109 Life expectancy: 48 years (2013) Under-five mortality rate (per 1,000 live births): 47 (2013) Largest contribution to mortality: HIV/AIDS Government health expenditure: 3% of GDP (2012) General information The Republic of Botswana is a large, landlocked plateau in the centre of Southern Africa, bordered by South Africa, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Climate: Botswana lies across the Tropic of Capricorn. The climate ranges from semi-arid through subtropical to temperate. Eastern Botswana is temperate, with enough rainfall to support arable farming, but rainfall decreases and temperature range increases westwards and southwards. Summer (October–April) is the rainy season and is very hot. Rainfall varies from 650 mm per annum in the east to 230 mm in the south-west. May–October is usually dry. In winter the nights can be cold and sometimes frosty, especially in the desert. Mean maximum temperature at Gaborone is 32.5°C. From August, annual seasonal winds cross the Kalahari from the west, raising dust and sandstorms. Environment: The most significant environmental issues are overgrazing, desertification and limited resources of fresh water. Population: 2,021,000 (2013); 57 per cent of people live in urban areas. The population growth rate stood at 1.6 per cent p.a. between the years of 1990 and 2013, with rapid growth in urban areas. In 2013 the birth rate was 24 per 1,000 people (46 in 1970) and life expectancy was 48 years, down from a peak of 63 years in the early 1990s, as a result of AIDS (52 in 1970). Around 80 per cent of the people are of Setswana-speaking origin and most of the rest of Kalanga-speaking origin. Bushmen (i.e. San or Basarwa), Herero, Mbukushu, Yei, Mazezuru, whites and others constitute the balance. Economy: Botswana is classified as an upper-middle income economy by the World Bank. Health Child and maternal health: The rate of infant mortality in Botswana was 46 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2013, with an under-five mortality rate of 47 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2013. Following a rise from 1990 to 2000, the under-five mortality rate in Botswana has decreased from approximately 87 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2001 to 47 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2013. Although this decrease is encouraging, the under-five mortality rate has not yet reached the country’s target of 17 deaths per 1,000 live births, as defined by Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4). In 2012 the three most prominent known causes of death for children below the age of five years were prematurity (24 per cent), intrapartum-related complications (14 per cent) and acute respiratory infections (13 per cent). Other contributory causes were congenital anomalies (nine per cent), neonatal sepsis (eight per cent), diarrhoea (seven per cent), HIV/AIDS (five per cent), injuries (five per cent) and measles (one per cent). In 2013 Botswana had an adjusted maternal mortality ratio of 170 deaths per 100,000 live births. Burden of disease: Communicable diseases along with maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions in Botswana accounted for an estimated 60 per cent of all mortality in 2012. The prevalence of HIV in Botswana, as a percentage of people aged 15–49 years, stood at 21.9 per cent in 2012. Levels of the disease peaked in the early 2000s and, although there has been a decline in recent years, HIV prevalence in the country is still very high. In the period 2000–12 the number of confirmed cases of, as well as deaths from, malaria dropped significantly. Estimated incidence of tuberculosis (TB) has seen an overall decrease in the period 1990–2013 after peaking in 1998, while estimated mortality (when mortality data excludes cases comorbid with HIV) has also Botswana
Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015
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