Botswana: Suicide mortality rate (per 100,000 population)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Botswana's suicide mortality rate (per 100,000 population) fell 0.56 on 2020 (from 8.91 to 8.35).

Across the 20 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2020), the average change was −0.16 and a typical year strayed about 1.31 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 3.63 in 2008 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.75 in 2015. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.72 a year. A straight line explains 94% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 5.43 for 2024. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2019 to 2021 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.37, against 1.07 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2021, Botswana had the 74th highest value of the 185 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Botswana in the 2021 ranking

• Ireland — 71st of 185: 8.55
• Burkina Faso — 72nd of 185: 8.5
• Cameroon — 73rd of 185: 8.5
• Uzbekistan — 75th of 185: 8.34
• Fiji — 76th of 185: 8.27
• Luxembourg — 77th of 185: 8.22

What this measures

Suicide mortality rate is the number of suicide deaths in a year per 100,000 population. Crude suicide rate (not age-adjusted).

Limitations: Due to changes in input data and methods, the revisions of the data are not comparable to previously published estimates.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 22 values

Suicide mortality rate (per 100,000 population) in nearby economies

• Angola — 8.11 (2021)
• Benin — 7.12 (2021)
• Burkina Faso — 8.5 (2021)
• Burundi — 7.65 (2021)
• Cabo Verde — 14.9 (2021)
• Cameroon — 8.5 (2021)
• Central African Republic — 9.19 (2021)
• Chad — 5.21 (2021)
• Comoros — 6 (2021)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 8.77 (2021)

More health data for Botswana

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 11.53% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 11.86% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 406,270 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 31.6% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 412,499 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 32.32% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 818,769 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 31.96% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 10.46% (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Botswana's suicide mortality rate (per 100,000 population)?

8.35 in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is down 30.88% from 12.08 in 2000 (1.74% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 16.68 in 2009 and the lowest 8.35 in 2021.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH.STA.SUIC.P5, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/)., World Health Organization (WHO), uri: https://www.who.int/data/gho Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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