What Do You Call Someone From Botswana? (Explained!)

A person from Botswana is called a Motswana, the plural being Batswana. The country is comprised of multiple ethnic groups and any of them may be referred to as a Motswana on the basis of their national identity and citizenship, but they personally may feel their ethnic identity is more important.

African nations on the whole tend to be extremely ethnically diverse.

Botswana is one of the most sparsely populated nations on Earth, and yet there is still a good deal of room for ethnic diversity.

In general, though, if you are from Botswana, you are a Motswana or one of many Batswana.

Let’s find out more.

In This Article

What are people from Botswana called?

You may assume that someone from Botswana would be called a Botswanan, but this is not true.

A person from Botswana is called a Motswana, and the plural form is Batswana.

Today, the term Motswana or Batswana is a term for any citizen of Botswana, but the country is comprised of multiple ethnic groups.

The dominant ethnic group is the Tswana people, who represent around 79% of the population.

Originally, the term Motswana referred to just this group, and it still can.

However, the term today does refer to any citizen of the country regardless of their ethnic background.

The Tswana people are broadly native to Southern Africa, and the majority of them can be found in South Africa rather than in Botswana.

Nonetheless, they still constitute the majority of the population of Botswana and would likely consider themselves to be both Tswana and Batswana first, though any individual may feel more strongly one way or the other.

There are multiple minority ethnic groups in Botswana, though.

The Kalanga are the next largest group making up around 11% of the population.

Again, these people live across southern Africa—most of them are found in Zimbabwe but they can also be found in large numbers in Botswana and South Africa.

Again, Batswana Kalanga may first think of themselves as Kalanga.

Other minority ethnic groups include the San people, representing around 2% of the population.

These are indigenous hunter-gatherers of which there are only around 105,000 total, with the majority living in Botswana.

8% of the population is then made up by other small ethnic groups, such as the Kgalagadi, the Basarwa, and populations of white and Indian peoples.

All of this is to say that Botswana is not an ethnic or cultural monolith, and while all of these people are technically citizens of Botswana and thus Motswana, this may not be how they think of themselves.

Where does the name “Botswana” come from?

The name Botswana means “land of the Tswana” in the native tongue of the Tswana, Setswana.

The nation’s constitution recognizes a homogenous Tswana state, despite the ethnic diversity of the nation.

So, the name for the country comes from the name for the dominant ethnic group, and indeed Batswana as a term for someone from Botswana was originally just a term for the Tswana which predated the establishment of the nation as we know it today.

Botswana was a British protectorate for 80 years, and they attained independence in 1965, forming the Republic of Botswana in 1966.

The name was chosen at this time, as it had previously been known as Bechuanaland.

Where do Batswana live?

The majority of Batswana are Tswana, and these people are spread through several African countries.

The vast majority live in South Africa—the total Batswana population is around 7 million, with around 5,000,000 of those living in South Africa.

Around a further 110,000 live in Namibia and Zimbabwe.

Most of these people, then, probably feel a greater kinship due to their ethnicity rather than their nationality.

The Kalanga’s 500,000 in Botswana represents around 11% of the population, but again the majority of these people are found in Zimbabwe.

Again, it is more likely that these people would feel closer to fellow Kalanga than they would to many Batswana people of different ethnicities.

The point is that, especially in Africa, ethnic identity is usually far more important than national identity.

A person may be a citizen of Botswana, but they themselves may not feel this to be an important part of their identity at all.

It will always depend on the person and of course it is not correct to say Batswana people do not feel this to be part of their identity at all, but it’s more complex than just to say they are Batswana.

What language do they speak in Botswana?

The official language of Botswana is English, and this is what the majority speak due to the country’s colonial history.

However, every ethnic group also has their own language which they speak.

The national language of Botswana is Setswana, which is the language of the Tswana people.

This is the most widely spoken language in the country other than English.

The Kalanga speak multiple langauges: TijKalanga and Ikalanga.

It is Ikalanga that is primarily spoken by the Motswana Kalanga, primarily in north-eastern Botswana.

These are the most commonly spoken languages in Botswana.

So, again, a person from Botswana may put their own individual ethnic identity at the forefront, but they are still a Motswana in terms of their nationality.

It is always a complex question to answer, and this is especially true when you have multiple indigenous peoples who may feel more connected to their own locale than to the country as a whole.

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Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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