Botswana’s population has grown by 21% to two million people in the last decade, the national statistician said on Thursday, presenting initial findings from the latest census.
“We have finally reached the two million mark. It took Botswana 28 years to grow its population by one million, because the country only had a million people in 1983,” Anna Majelantle told reporters.
The population grew from 1.6-million in 2001, and the government had expected it to reach 1.8-million in the next 10 years.
Majelantle said the cause of the increase would become clear when the final analysis of the census numbers is released in six months.
Botswana experienced a surge in migration from neighbouring Zimbabwe over the last decade, as that country’s economic meltdown sent millions fleeing abroad in search of opportunity.
Majelantle said the population growth was good news for business people and potential investors in Botswana who now have a bigger market for their products.
“But for service providers who are already strained, this will be bad news as they are already struggling and failing to cope,” she said.
She said according to their analysis it will take Botswana 23 years to increase its population by another one million. — AFP