1 EXHIBIT 23 ACCOUNTANTS' CONSENT The Board of Directors BancorpSouth, Inc.: We consent to incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement (No. 33-28081) on Form S-4 and the Registration Statement (No. 33-60699) on Form S-8 of BancorpSouth, Inc. of our report dated January 18, 2000, relating to the consolidated balance sheets of BancorpSouth, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 1999 and 1998, and the related consolidated statements of income, shareholders' equity and comprehensive income, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 1999, which report is included in the 1999 annual report on Form 10-K of BancorpSouth, Inc. /S/ KPMG LLP Memphis, Tennessee March 27, 2000