Map of Swaziland | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

top of page


Background: Autonomy for the Swazis of southern Africa was guaranteed by the British in the late 19th century; independence was granted in 1968. Student and labor unrest during the 1990s pressured King MSWATI III Africa's last absolute monarch to grudgingly allow political reform and greater democracy although he has backslid on these promises in recent years. A constitution came into effect in 2006 but the legal status of political parties remains unclear. The African United Democratic Party tried unsuccessfully to register as an official political party in mid-2006. Talks over the constitution broke down between the government and progressive groups in 2007. Swaziland recently surpassed Botswana as the country with the world's highest known HIV/AIDS prevalence rate.


top of page


Location: Southern Africa between Mozambique and South Africa

Geographic coordinates: 26 30 S 31 30 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 17,364 km²
Land: 17,204 km²
Water: 160 km²
Rank: 159
Comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries
Total: 546 km
Border countries: (2) Mozambique 108 km; South Africa 438 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: varies from tropical to near temperate

Terrain: mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Great Usutu River 21 m
Extremes highest point: Emlembe 1862 m

Natural resources: asbestos coal clay cassiterite hydropower forests small gold and diamond deposits quarry stone and talc

Land use
Agricultural land: 68.3%
Forest: 31.7%
Other: 0%

Irrigated land: 498.5 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 4.51 km³ (2011)

Natural hazards: drought

Geography
Note: landlocked; almost completely surrounded by South Africa


top of page


Population: 1,435,613
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
Rank: 155
Growth rate: 1.11% (2015 est.)
Growth rate rank: 105
Below poverty line: 69% (2006 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Swazi
Adjective: Swazi

Ethnic groups: African 97% European 3%

Languages: English (official used for government business) siSwati (official)

Religions: Zionist 40% (a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship) Roman Catholic 20% Muslim 10% other 30% (includes Anglican Baha'i Methodist Mormon Jewish)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 35.99%
15-24 years: 22.26%
25-54 years: 33.64%
55-64 years: 4.26%
65 years and over: 3.84% (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 69.3%
Youth dependency ratio: 63.2%
Elderly dependency ratio: 6.1%
Potential support ratio: 16.5%

Median age
Total: 21 years
Male: 20.7 years
Female: 21.3 years

Population growth rate: 1.11% (2015 est.)
Rank: 105

Birth rate: 24.67 births/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 54

Death rate: 13.56 deaths/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 11

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 82

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 21.3% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 1.32% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: MBABANE (capital) 66,000 (2014)

Environment
Current issues: limited supplies of potable water; wildlife populations being depleted because of excessive hunting; overgrazing; soil degradation; soil erosion
International agreements party to: Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Hazardous Wastes Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
0-14 years: 1.02 male/female
15-24 years: 1.02 male/female
25-54 years: 1.07 male/female
55-64 years: 0.66 male/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male/female
Total population: 1 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 52.57 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 56.49 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 48.53 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 32

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 51.05 years
Male: 51.6 years
Female: 50.5 years
Rank: 220

Total fertility rate: 2.8 children born/woman (2015 est.)
Rank: 61

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 65.2% (2010)

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.17 physicians/1000 population (2009)

Hospital bed density: 2.1 beds/1000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 27.36% (2013 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 1
People living with hivaids: 204,100 (2013 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 27
Deaths: 4,500 (2013 est.)
Deaths rank: 40

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

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 14.8% (2014)
Rank: 98

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 5.8% (2010)
Rank: 84

Education expenditures: 7.8% of GDP (2011)
Rank: 12

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 87.5%
Male: 87.4%
Female: 87.5%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 11 years
Male: 12 years
Female: 11 years

Youth unemployment


top of page


Country name
Conventional long form: Kingdom of Swaziland
Conventional short form: Swaziland
Local long form: Umbuso weSwatini
Local short form: eSwatini

Government type: monarchy

Capital
Name: Mbabane; note - Lobamba is the royal and legislative capital
Geographic coordinates: 26 19 S 31 08 E
Time difference: UTC+2

Administrative divisions: 4 districts; Hhohho Lubombo Manzini Shiselweni

Dependent areas

Independence: 6 September 1968 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 6 September (1968)

Constitution: previous 1968 1978; latest signed by the king 26 July 2005 effective 8 February 2006 (2013)

Legal system: mixed legal system of civil common and customary law

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age

Executive branch
Chief of state: King MSWATI III
Head of government: Prime Minister Barnabas Sibusiso DLAMINI ; Deputy Prime Minister Themba Nhlanganiso MASUKU (since 2008)
Cabinet: Cabinet recommended by the prime minister confirmed by the monarch
Electionsappointments: the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch from among elected members of the House of Assembly

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral Parliament or Libandla consists of the Senate and the House of Assembly (65 seats; 55 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 10 members appointed by the monarch; members serve 5-year terms)
Elections: House of Assembly - last held on 20 September 2013
Election results: House of Assembly - balloting is done on a nonparty basis; candidates for election nominated by the local council of each constituency and for each constituency the three candidates with the most votes in the first round of voting are narrowed to a single winner by a second round

Judicial branch
Highest court: the Supreme Court of the Judicature comprising the Supreme Court and the High Court (consists of the chief justice - ex officio - and at least 4 justices); note - the Supreme Court has jurisdiction in all constitutional matters
Judge selection and term of office: justices of the Supreme Court of the Judicature are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission or JCS a judicial advisory body consisting of the Supreme Court Chief Justice 4 members appointed by the monarch and the JCS head; justices of both courts eligible for retirement at age 65 with mandatory retirement at age 75 for Supreme Court justices and at age 70 for High Court justices
Subordinate courts: magistrates' courts; National Swazi Courts for administering customary/traditional laws
Note: the national constitution as amended in 2006 shifted judicial power from the monarch and vested it exclusively in the judiciary

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU C COMESA FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM ISO (correspondent) ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA NAM OPCW PCA SACU SADC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Abednigo Mandla NTSHANGASE
In the us chancery: 1712 New Hampshire Avenue NW Washington DC 20,009
In the us telephone: [1] 234-5,002
In the us FAX: [1] 234-8,254
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Makila JAMES
From the us embassy: 7th Floor Central Bank Building Mahlokohla St. Mbabane
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 199 Mbabane
From the us telephone: [268] 404-6,441
From the us FAX: [268] 404-5,959

Flag description: three horizontal bands of blue (top) red (triple width) and blue; the red band is edged in yellow; centered in the red band is a large black and white shield covering two spears and a staff decorated with feather tassels all placed horizontally; blue stands for peace and stability red represents past struggles and yellow the mineral resources of the country; the shield spears and staff symbolize protection from the country's enemies while the black and white of the shield are meant to portray black and white people living in peaceful coexistence

National symbols: lion elephant; national colors: blue yellow red

National anthem
Name: 'Nkulunkulu Mnikati wetibusiso temaSwati'
Lyrics and music: Andrease Enoke Fanyana SIMELANE/David Kenneth RYCROFT
Note: adopted 1968; uses elements of both ethnic Swazi and Western music styles

National heritage


top of page


Economy overview: Surrounded by South Africa except for a short border with Mozambique Swaziland depends heavily on South Africa for more than 90% of its imports and for 60% of its exports. Swaziland's currency is pegged to the South African rand effectively relinquishing Swaziland's monetary policy to South Africa. The government is heavily dependent on customs duties from the Southern African Customs Union and worker remittances from South Africa supplement domestically earned income. Swaziland’s GDP per capita makes it a lower middle income country but its income distribution is highly skewed with an estimated 20% of the population controlling 80% of the nation’s wealth. Subsistence agriculture employs approximately 70% of the population. The manufacturing sector diversified in the 1980s and 1990s but manufacturing has grown little in the last decade. Sugar and wood pulp had been major foreign exchange earners until the wood pulp producer closed in January 2010 and sugar is now the main export earner. Mining has declined in importance in recent years. Coal gold diamond and quarry stone mines are small-scale and the only iron ore mine closed in 2014. With an estimated 40% unemployment rate Swaziland's need to increase the number and size of small and medium enterprises and to attract foreign direct investment is acute. Overgrazing soil depletion drought and floods are persistant problems. On 1 January 2015 Swaziland lost its eligibility for benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) threatening the remaining 12,000 jobs in the textile and apparel sector after 3,000 jobs were lost since the 2014 announcement of the loss of AGOA. As of 2013 more than one-quarter of the adult population was infected by HIV/AIDS; Swaziland has the world’s highest HIV prevalence rate.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 161

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 145

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 147

Gross national saving:
Rank: 127

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 80.5%
Government consumption: 25.3%
Investment in fixed capital: 13.5%
Investment in inventories: -0.1%
Exports of goods and services: 51%
Imports of goods and services: -70.2%: (2014 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 7.2%
Industry: 47.4%
Services: 45.4%

Agriculture products: sugarcane cotton corn tobacco rice citrus pineapples sorghum peanuts; cattle goats sheep

Industries: coal forestry sugar soft drink concentrates textiles and apparel

Industrial production growth rate: 2.1% (2014 est.)
Rank: 124

Labor force: 435,500 (2012 est.)
Rank: 158
By occupation agriculture: 70%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%

Unemployment rate: 40% (2006 est.)
Rank: 190

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 69% (2006 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1.7%
Highest 10: 40.1%

Distribution of family income gini index: 50.4 (2001)
Rank: 18

Budget
Revenues: $1.349 billion
Expenditures: $1.406 billion
Surplus or deficit: -1.5% of GDP (2014 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 69

Taxes and other revenues: 35.1% of GDP (2014 est.)
Rank: 61

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 177

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 49

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 103

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 164

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 165

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 163

Market value of publicly traded shares:

Current account balance:
Rank: 59

Exports:
Rank: 142
Commodities: soft drink concentrates sugar timber cotton yarn refrigerators citrus and canned fruit

Imports:
Rank: 163
Commodities: motor vehicles machinery transport equipment foodstuffs petroleum products chemicals

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 141

Debt external:
Rank: 174

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $N/A

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $N/A

Exchange rates:


top of page


Electricity
Production: 415 million kWh (2011 est.)
Production rank: 165
Consumption: 1.295 billion kWh (2011 est.)
Consumption rank: 149
Exports: 0 kWh (2013)
Exports rank: 216
Imports: 909 million kWh (2011 est.)
Imports rank: 68
Installed generating capacity: 149,000 kW (2011 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 165
Generation sources fossil fuels: 59.7% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 136
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 208
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 40.3% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 58
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 143

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 146
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 208
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 145
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 210

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products production rank: 211
Products consumption: 4,520 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products consumption rank: 171
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products exports rank: 146
Products imports: 4,761 bbl/day (2010 est.)
Products imports rank: 155

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2012 est.)
Production rank: 211
Consumption: 0 m³ (2012 est.)
Consumption rank: 211
Exports: 0 m³ (2012 est.)
Exports rank: 210
Imports: 0 m³ (2012 est.)
Imports rank: 81
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 210

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 936,900 Mt (2012 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 168

Energy consumption per capita


top of page


Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 44,400
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 3
Fixed lines rank: 166
Mobile cellular total: 916,800
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 65
Mobile cellular rank: 160

Telephone system
General assessment: a somewhat modern but not an advanced system
Domestic: single source for mobile-cellular service with a geographic coverage of about 90% and a rising subscribership base; combined fixed-line and mobile cellular teledensity roughly 60 telephones per 100 persons in 2011; telephone system consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines and low-capacity microwave radio relay
International: country code - 268; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (2009)

Broadcast media: state-owned TV station; satellite dishes are able to access South African providers; state-owned radio network with 3 channels; 1 private radio station (2007)

Internet
Country code: .sz
Users total: 337,300
Users percent of population: 23.8%
Users rank: 137

Broadband fixed subscriptions


top of page


Military expenditures:
Rank: 18

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18-30 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; no conscription; compulsory HIV testing required only HIV-negative applicants accepted (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


top of page


National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 14 (2013)
Rank: 149
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways total: 12
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5
With unpaved runways: 7 (2013)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 301 km
Narrow gauge: 301 km 1.067-m gauge
Rank: 121

Roadways
Total: 3,594 km
Paved: 1078 km
Unpaved: 2,516 km
Rank: 161

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


top of page


Disputes international: in 2006 Swazi king advocated resorting to ICJ to claim parts of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal from South Africa

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs