| Population | 1,467,152 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2017 est.) |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 35.01% (male 259,646/female 253,976) 15-24 years: 22.12% (male 164,117/female 160,478) 25-54 years: 34.6% (male 264,262/female 243,362) 55-64 years: 4.3% (male 25,319/female 37,763) 65 years and over: 3.97% (male 22,113/female 36,116) (2017 est.) |
| Dependency ratios | total dependency ratio: 68.8 youth dependency ratio: 63.5 elderly dependency ratio: 5.2 potential support ratio: 19.1 (2015 est.) |
| Median age | total: 21.7 years male: 21.5 years female: 21.9 years (2017 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 1.08% (2017 est.) |
| Birth rate | 24 births/1,000 population (2017 est.) |
| Death rate | 13.2 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.) |
| Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.) |
| Urbanization | urban population: 21.3% of total population (2017) rate of urbanization: 1.41% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.) |
| Major cities - population | MBABANE (capital) 66,000 (2014) |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.66 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2016 est.) |
| Mother's mean age at first birth | 19.5 years note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2006/07 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 48.4 deaths/1,000 live births male: 52.2 deaths/1,000 live births female: 44.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2017 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 52.1 years male: 52.7 years female: 51.5 years (2017 est.) |
| Total fertility rate | 2.69 children born/woman (2017 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate | 66.1% (2014) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 27.2% (2016 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 220,000 (2016 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 3,900 (2016 est.) |
| Drinking water source | improved: urban: 93.6% of population rural: 68.9% of population total: 74.1% of population unimproved: urban: 6.4% of population rural: 31.1% of population total: 25.9% of population (2015 est.) |
| Sanitation facility access | improved: urban: 63.1% of population rural: 56% of population total: 57.5% of population unimproved: urban: 36.9% of population rural: 44% of population total: 42.5% of population (2015 est.) |
| Major infectious diseases | degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2016) |
| Nationality | noun: Swazi(s) adjective: Swazi |
| Ethnic groups | African 97%, European 3% |
| Religions | Christian 90% (Zionist - a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship - 40%, Roman Catholic 20%, other 30% - includes Anglican, Methodist, Mormon, Jehovah's Witness), Muslim 2%, other 8% (includes Baha'i, Buddhist, Hindu, indigenous religionist, Jewish) (2015 est.) |
| Demographic profile | Swaziland, a small, predominantly rural, landlocked country surrounded by South Africa and Mozambique, suffers from severe poverty and the world’s highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate. A weak and deteriorating economy, high unemployment, rapid population growth, and an uneven distribution of resources all combine to worsen already persistent poverty and food insecurity, especially in rural areas. Erratic weather (frequent droughts and intermittent heavy rains and flooding), overuse of small plots, the overgrazing of cattle, and outdated agricultural practices reduce crop yields and further degrade the environment, exacerbating Swaziland’s poverty and subsistence problems. Swaziland’s extremely high HIV/AIDS prevalence rate – more than 28% of adults have the disease – compounds these issues. Agricultural production has declined due to HIV/AIDS, as the illness causes households to lose manpower and to sell livestock and other assets to pay for medicine and funerals. Swazis, mainly men from the country’s rural south, have been migrating to South Africa to work in coal, and later gold, mines since the late 19th century. Although the number of miners abroad has never been high in absolute terms because of Swaziland’s small population, the outflow has had important social and economic repercussions. The peak of mining employment in South Africa occurred during the 1980s. Cross-border movement has accelerated since the 1990s, as increasing unemployment has pushed more Swazis to look for work in South Africa (creating a “brain drain” in the health and educational sectors); southern Swazi men have continued to pursue mining, although the industry has downsized. Women now make up an increasing share of migrants and dominate cross-border trading in handicrafts, using the proceeds to purchase goods back in Swaziland. Much of today’s migration, however, is not work-related but focuses on visits to family and friends, tourism, and shopping. |
| Languages | English (official, used for government business), siSwati (official) |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87.5% male: 87.4% female: 87.5% (2015 est.) |
| School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) | total: 11 years male: 12 years female: 11 years (2013) |
| Education expenditures | 7.1% of GDP (2014) |
| Maternal mortality rate | 389 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 5.8% (2014) |
| Health expenditures | 9.3% of GDP (2014) |
| Physicians density | 0.15 physicians/1,000 population (2009) |
| Hospital bed density | 2.1 beds/1,000 population (2011) |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 16.5% (2016) |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on January 20, 2018
