Botswana: cities by population
Botswana has a population of 2,603,388 (UN estimate, 2026), with Gaborone as its capital. The 50 largest of its 139 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
+55%
since 2000 (1,677,382)
+32%
projected by 2050 (3,437,430)
5
people per km²
Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.
Largest cities in Botswana
| # | Place | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gaborone | Gaborone | 246,325 |
| 2 | Francistown | City of Francistown | 103,417 |
| 3 | Mogoditshane | Kweneng | 88,004 |
| 4 | Maun | North-West | 85,350 |
| 5 | Molepolole | Kweneng | 74,861 |
| 6 | Serowe | Central | 55,676 |
| 7 | Tlokweng | South-East | 55,508 |
| 8 | Palapye | Central | 52,636 |
| 9 | Mochudi | Kgatleng | 50,321 |
| 10 | Mahalapye | Central | 48,431 |
| 11 | Kanye | Ngwaketsi | 48,028 |
| 12 | Selebi-Phikwe | Selibe Phikwe | 42,488 |
| 13 | Letlhakane | Central | 36,404 |
| 14 | Ramotswa | South-East | 33,271 |
| 15 | Lobatse | Lobatse | 29,772 |
| 16 | Mmopone | Kweneng | 25,460 |
| 17 | Thamaga | Kweneng | 25,300 |
| 18 | Mosopa | Ngwaketsi | 23,858 |
| 19 | Tonota | Central | 23,296 |
| 20 | Bobonong | Central | 21,216 |
| 21 | Gabane | Kweneng | 20,027 |
| 22 | Ghanzi | Ghanzi | 19,012 |
| 23 | Jwaneng | Jwaneng | 18,784 |
| 24 | Tutume | Central | 18,582 |
| 25 | Janeng | South-East | 16,853 |
| 26 | Kopong | South-East | 13,823 |
| 27 | Mmadinare | Central | 13,198 |
| 28 | Tati Siding | North-East | 12,404 |
| 29 | Tshabong | Kgalagadi | 11,651 |
| 30 | Metsemotlhaba | Kweneng | 11,617 |
| 31 | Gumare | North-West | 11,572 |
| 32 | Shakawe | North-West | 10,589 |
| 33 | Oodi | South-East | 10,257 |
| 34 | Bokaa | Kgatleng | 9,146 |
| 35 | Kasane | Chobe | 9,143 |
| 36 | Borolong | Central | 8,917 |
| 37 | Shoshong | Central | 8,887 |
| 38 | Orapa | Central | 8,648 |
| 39 | Letlhakeng | Kweneng | 8,343 |
| 40 | Nata | Central | 7,779 |
| 41 | Mmankgodi | Kweneng | 7,396 |
| 42 | Lerala | Central | 7,204 |
| 43 | Otse | South-East | 6,986 |
| 44 | Kumakwane | Kweneng | 6,826 |
| 45 | Sese | Ngwaketsi | 6,798 |
| 46 | Kang | Kgalagadi | 6,764 |
| 47 | Lentsweletau | Kweneng | 6,653 |
| 48 | Ramotswa Station/Taung | South-East | 6,286 |
| 49 | Masunga | North-East | 6,216 |
| 50 | Lotlhakane | Ngwaketsi | 6,045 |
Twenty years earlier: Botswana in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 1,820,498.
Common questions
What is the population of Botswana?
Botswana has a population of 2,603,388, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 3,437,430 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Botswana?
Gaborone.