Eswatini is a country in Southern Africa. Its capital is Mbabane (administrative); Lobamba (royal and legislative).
Africa and its surrounding islands. The dot marks Mbabane; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapEswatini is landlocked between South Africa and Mozambique. Its western highlands descend through a middle zone toward the hotter, lower eastern plains. The Lubombo range rises again near the eastern boundary.
This sequence of elevations creates varied scenery within a relatively small country. Malolotja represents the highland landscape, while lower areas include more open savanna. Rivers crossing the country link these regions and provide water for farms and settlements.
Climate changes with elevation. The higher western areas are cooler, while lower eastern areas are warmer; rainfall is generally more abundant in the highlands.
Higher areas are generally cooler and wetter than the lowveld. Grasslands, woodland and river habitats occur in different combinations across the country. The same season can therefore bring quite different conditions in the mountains and eastern plains.
Three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple-width), and blue; the red band is edged in yellow, with a large black-and-white shield in the center that covers two horizontal spears and a staff with feather tassels
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A view from Logwaja shows the rolling highland landscape.
Photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
A lake and its surroundings show a different habitat within the interior.
Photo: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
SiSwati and English are official languages. SiSwati is the principal language of everyday communication, while English is widely used in government business and formal education.
The two languages often serve different purposes for the same speaker. SiSwati belongs to the Nguni group of languages, alongside languages such as Zulu and Xhosa in neighboring South Africa.
Eswatini became independent from Britain on 6 September 1968 under its monarchy. The country was internationally known as Swaziland until the name Eswatini was adopted in 2018.
Sugar production, manufacturing, forestry and services are important activities. Trade and transport links with South Africa are central, and customs-union receipts contribute to public finances.
soft drink concentrates, coal, forestry, sugar processing, textiles, and apparel
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
| Year | People | Millions of people |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 441,216 | 0.441 |
| 1980 | 596,644 | 0.597 |
| 1990 | 872,428 | 0.872 |
| 2000 | 1,041,414 | 1.041 |
| 2010 | 1,111,650 | 1.112 |
| 2020 | 1,192,729 | 1.193 |
| 2025 | 1,256,174 | 1.256 |
Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.
Sources: World Bank · Real GDP
| Year | Constant 2015 US$ | Billions of constant 2015 US dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1,769,262,015 | 1.769 |
| 1991 | 1,800,407,694 | 1.800 |
| 1992 | 1,858,492,562 | 1.858 |
| 1993 | 1,916,219,459 | 1.916 |
| 1994 | 1,962,221,980 | 1.962 |
| 1995 | 2,056,911,966 | 2.057 |
| 1996 | 2,135,939,631 | 2.136 |
| 1997 | 2,202,213,677 | 2.202 |
| 1998 | 2,259,560,192 | 2.260 |
| 1999 | 2,326,236,997 | 2.326 |
| 2000 | 2,367,182,799 | 2.367 |
| 2001 | 2,400,612,485 | 2.401 |
| 2002 | 2,498,765,078 | 2.499 |
| 2003 | 2,612,175,410 | 2.612 |
| 2004 | 2,706,660,912 | 2.707 |
| 2005 | 2,868,851,690 | 2.869 |
| 2006 | 3,061,891,254 | 3.062 |
| 2007 | 3,194,095,190 | 3.194 |
| 2008 | 3,240,107,843 | 3.240 |
| 2009 | 3,286,542,196 | 3.287 |
| 2010 | 3,412,233,861 | 3.412 |
| 2011 | 3,475,009,965 | 3.475 |
| 2012 | 3,617,154,619 | 3.617 |
| 2013 | 3,765,262,097 | 3.765 |
| 2014 | 3,842,727,914 | 3.843 |
| 2015 | 3,908,217,914 | 3.908 |
| 2016 | 4,023,477,835 | 4.023 |
| 2017 | 4,165,142,617 | 4.165 |
| 2018 | 4,167,866,439 | 4.168 |
| 2019 | 4,435,938,144 | 4.436 |
| 2020 | 4,304,996,590 | 4.305 |
| 2021 | 4,487,365,679 | 4.487 |
| 2022 | 4,504,690,089 | 4.505 |
| 2023 | 4,663,821,718 | 4.664 |
| 2024 | 4,805,211,286 | 4.805 |
| 2025 | 5,006,737,886 | 5.007 |
The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.
The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.
Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025
Absolute monarchy. Parliament (Libandla) has two chambers (a bicameral legislature).
Three questions about Eswatini.
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived country profile
Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.
Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.
