MigrantoMigration trends in Botswana
Africa
Botswana takes in more people than it loses: 108.9K immigrants against 16.7K emigrants. Net balance +92.2K — 4% of the country's population
2.5M
Population
108.9K
Immigrants
16.7K
Emigrants
+92.2K
Inflow
1 in 23 residents of Botswana was born abroad — and 1 in 152 people born in Botswana lives abroad
#132 in the world by net migration gain
Top corridors
The largest migration flows in Botswana
Key moments
How migration has changed since 1990
1990
25.8K immigrants · 24K emigrants
1995
- The exodus eased — the diaspora shrank by 27%
- Net migration doubled — the surplus reached 17.8K
2005
- Zimbabwe overtook South Africa as the largest source of new arrivals
- A surge of arrivals — the foreign-born population jumped 59%
- Net migration doubled — the surplus reached 54.9K
2020
- The foreign-born population passed 100K residents
Today
- Since 1990: 83.1K more foreign-born residents and roughly the same number of emigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
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