Africa remains the preferred destination for Batswana considering emigration, underscoring a stronger pull toward the continent than toward Europe or North America, according to an Afrobarometer survey.
Among Batswana who said they had considered emigrating, 43% preferred moving elsewhere within Africa, compared with 24% who chose Europe and 19% who preferred North America. A further 13% selected destinations outside Africa, while 1% did not provide an answer.
The findings are contained in ‘Beyond borders: Botswana | 2024 – The people’s perspective,’ based on Afrobarometer Round 10 interviews with 1,200 adult Batswana in July 2024. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
The data also shows that 36% of respondents had considered emigrating to some degree. That includes 19% who had considered it ‘a lot,’ 8% ‘somewhat’ and 9% ‘a little bit,’ while 64% said they had not considered leaving. The preference for Africa comes despite relatively strong interest in Europe and North America, suggesting that for those contemplating a move, geographic proximity remains a major factor.
Afrobarometer’s findings also point to a cautious but outward-looking attitude toward regional integration. 40% support the free cross-border movement of Southern Africans, while 31% said crossing borders is easy. Support for free trade was higher at 55%, although only 8% said they were aware of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life.
The survey describes its findings as ‘the people’s perspective,’ highlighting how ordinary Batswana view migration, regional integration and Botswana’s place in the world. The results come as economic pressures, employment opportunities and regional mobility continue to shape decisions about where Africans live and work.