Women continue to outlive men – Report
Pauline Dikuelo | Tuesday June 3, 2025 10:09
According to the annual Causes of Mortality report 2022, Botswana’s average life expectancy at birth stands at 69 years, with women expected to live to 71 years and men to 66 years. This five-year gender gap persists across the country, reflecting both biological and socio-economic factors that continue to shape public health outcomes.
A closer look at settlement types reveals that residents of cities and towns enjoy longer life spans than those in rural areas. In urban centers, females have an average life expectancy of 75 years, while males are expected to reach 72 years, narrowing the gender gap to three years.
However, in urban villages, the life expectancy drops to 67 years overall, with women living up to 70 years and men only 64 years, marking a six-year difference. Rural areas reflect an average life expectancy of 68 years, with women expected to live to 70 years and men to 66 years, sustaining a four-year gender disparity.
Geographical differences are also apparent; Gaborone recorded the highest life expectancy at 76 years, followed by Francistown at 73 years, the South-East District at 72 years, and Kweneng East at 71 years. Kgatleng, Central Serowe/Palapye, and North-East District all reported a life expectancy of 70 years. Most other districts recorded life expectancy levels above 60 years. However, Ghanzi emerged as the exception, reporting the lowest life expectancy in the country at only 58 years.
“Notably, women outlive men in almost every district except Lobatse and Kgalagadi South, where the census recorded higher life expectancy among males, an anomaly that warrants further investigation,” read the report. Meanwhile, the year 2022 saw a significant drop in mortality figures, with 13,740 deaths registered, representing a 21.9% decline from 17,589 deaths in 2021. Gaborone accounted for the highest proportion at 17.6%, followed by Francistown and Kweneng East, each at 9.9%. Male deaths slightly surpassed female deaths, comprising 52.2% of total deaths, with notable disparities observed across different regions.
The highest mortality rates were recorded among individuals aged 85 and older. Monthly deaths were relatively stable, ranging between 1,000 and 1,300, with no significant seasonal fluctuations. In terms of causes of death, infectious and parasitic diseases topped the list at 12.6%, closely followed by circulatory system diseases at 12.5% and neoplasms at 12%. Notably, deaths due to COVID-19 declined sharply compared to 2021, with HIV/AIDS becoming the leading cause of death in 2022. Both men and women were significantly affected by HIV/AIDS, though variations in leading causes were observed between the sexes.
When viewed through the lens of the Global Burden of Disease, non-communicable diseases dominated the landscape, accounting for 57.5% of all deaths. Communicable diseases followed at 28.6%, while injuries accounted for 13.9%. The burden of communicable diseases was highest among children, while non-communicable diseases increased with age, peaking in older adults. Injuries, on the other hand, were most prevalent among young adults.
Non-natural causes of death, comprising 13.9% of total fatalities, were most prevalent in the 0–24 age group. Road traffic accidents emerged as the leading non-natural cause at 27.6%, followed by self-inflicted injuries (20%) and other forms of violence (10.7%).