Eswatini
Country in Africa
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 1.3M (2025). World rank 158 of 216; in Africa, 48 of 54. Area: 17,364 km². World rank 159 of 249; in Africa, 49 of 59. Life expectancy: 64.3 years (2024). World rank 191 of 216 (1 = best); in Africa, 30 of 54. From 2015 to 2025: population 1.1M → 1.3M, GDP $3.9B → $5.2B, and GDP per person $3,420 → $4,108.
State
- Official name
- Kingdom of Eswatini
- Local name
- Eswatini
- Capital
- Lobamba
- Region
- Africa
- Form of government
- Absolute monarchy
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Mswati III
- Head of government
- Edeupa Yerimin
- Independence
- September 6, 1968
- Women in parliament
- 21.6% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 1,256,174 2025
- Area
- 17,364 km²
- GDP
- $5.2B 2025
- GDP per person
- $4,108 2025
- Life expectancy
- 64.3 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- English, Swazi
- Currency
- Swazi Lilangeni (SZL), South African Rand (ZAR)
- Time zones
- UTC+2
- Calling code
- +268
- Emergency numbers
- 933, 977, 999
- Driving side
- Left
- Plug types
- D
- Mains voltage
- 230 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Landlocked
- Coastline, km
- 0
- Neighbours
- Mozambique, South Africa
- Agricultural land
- 69.6% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Emlembe, 1,862 m
- Lowest point
- Maputo River, 21 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 305
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 20
- Warmest month in the capital
- December, 23°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- July, 14°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 788 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 72.3 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- +1.1% 2025
- Living in cities
- 26.7% 2025
- Net migration per year
- -5.8K 2025
- Born in another country
- 2.7% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 33% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 62.7% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 4.4% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 67.1 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 61.3 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 2.7 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 23.7 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 7.7 2024
Society
- Religions
- Christian 90%, other 8%, and Muslim 2% (2015)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 45.8 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 31.9 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 35.2 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 43.9 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 31 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $12,529 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +4.2% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- Lower-middle income
- Gross national income per person
- $3,730 2025
- Inflation
- +2.6% 2019
- Price level, USA = 100
- 33 2025
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 6.4% 2025
- Industry, share of GDP
- 33.6% 2025
- Services, share of GDP
- 52.4% 2025
- Unemployment
- 34.2% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 54.3% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 48.5% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 53.8% 2024
- Imports, share of GDP
- 53.7% 2024
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- +2.4% 2025
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- +1% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 0.8% 2025
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 24.4% 2021
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 54.6 2016
- Living on under $3 a day
- 44.5% 2016
Education
- Adult literacy
- 90.8% 2022
- Primary school enrolment
- 117% 2023
- Secondary school enrolment
- 82% 2016
- Higher education enrolment
- 6.4% 2013
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 6% 2024
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 7.5% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $296 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 11% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 0.6 2023
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 4.3 2023
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 2 2013
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 85% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 42.2 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 45.1 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 118 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 23.4% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 7.9% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 57.1% 2022
- Adults who use tobacco
- 11.5% 2024
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 80.4% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 64.5% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 56% 2024
Safety
- Homicides per 100,000 people
- 12.5 2021
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 33.5 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 27.2 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 55.6 2025
- Natural hazards
- droughts
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 16.8 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 0.9 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 2.4 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 25.3% 2024
- Protected areas
- 4.2% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 2,166 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 77.6% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 63.4% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 140 2024
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 2.5 2024
- Internet domain
- .sz
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 89.3% 2024
- Electricity use, kWh per person
- 1,102 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 64.7% 2022
- Electricity from renewables
- 83.1% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 2.5% 2024
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 34,663 2023
- Airports
- 16 2025
- Railways, km
- 301 2014
Science and innovation
- Research spending, share of GDP
- 0.3% 2015
- Researchers per million people
- 138 2015
- Scientific articles per year
- 31 2023
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 0.3% 2023