PopulationTracker

Eswatini population

Current population of Eswatini

1,270,993

Live estimate, extrapolated from the latest official figures

Births today
16
Deaths today
5
Change today (UTC)
+7
World rank
159th of 218
0.02% of world population
Population
1,256,174
2025 estimate
Annual growth
+1.07%
2025
Density
72 /km²
2023
Land area
17,200 km²
Urban population
27%
2025
Median age
22.5 yrs
2025 (UN WPP)
Fertility rate
2.72
births per woman, 2024
Life expectancy
64.3 yrs
2024
Net migration
−5,775
2025
Capital
Mbabane
Region
Sub-Saharan Africa

Population of Eswatini: overview

Eswatini is home to 1,256,174 people (2025 estimate), ranking 159th in the world by population. Eswatini is part of the Sub-Saharan Africa region and its capital is Mbabane.

The population is growing steadily, at 1.07% per year. In absolute terms that meant roughly 13,352 additional people over the past year.

Population density is moderate — about 72 people per km², spread across 17,200 km² of land. It is one of the least urbanized countries in the world — just 27% of people live in cities.

The population is young, with a median age of 22.5 years. The fertility rate of 2.72 children per woman sits above the replacement level of 2.1. Life expectancy at birth is 64.3 years (2024).

UN medium-variant projections point to continued growth, reaching 1.51 million by 2050 (20% above today's level). The 2030 projection is 1,320,918.

Eswatini population, 1960–2025 and projections

0400K800K1.2M1.6M19601980200020202040projected2025: 1.26M1960: 345,3371961: 353,2641962: 361,3651963: 369,7591964: 378,6561965: 388,3361966: 398,7661967: 409,0311968: 419,1471969: 429,8751970: 441,2161971: 453,1831972: 465,7881973: 479,0381974: 492,9881975: 507,6731976: 523,3301977: 540,3481978: 558,4461979: 577,1991980: 596,6441981: 616,8081982: 637,6521983: 658,9571984: 680,7831985: 706,1961986: 734,7321987: 763,8111988: 799,7981989: 837,8001990: 872,4281991: 908,1891992: 943,4161993: 971,3181994: 971,2121995: 970,4331996: 989,8411997: 1,006,6351998: 1,019,6531999: 1,030,7822000: 1,041,4142001: 1,051,0642002: 1,059,4412003: 1,066,7002004: 1,073,1592005: 1,079,0222006: 1,084,4362007: 1,090,7052008: 1,098,0912009: 1,105,1532010: 1,111,6502011: 1,117,8332012: 1,123,8632013: 1,129,9902014: 1,136,2992015: 1,142,8132016: 1,149,5072017: 1,158,1952018: 1,168,9292019: 1,179,8742020: 1,192,7292021: 1,206,5932022: 1,218,9172023: 1,230,5062024: 1,242,8222025: 1,256,1742030: 1,320,9182050: 1,505,331
Population of Eswatini by year
YearPopulationGrowth rateAnnual change
20251,256,174+1.07%+13,352
20241,242,822+1.00%+12,316
20231,230,506+0.95%+11,589
20221,218,917+1.02%+12,324
20211,206,593+1.16%+13,864
20201,192,729+1.08%+12,855
20191,179,874+0.93%+10,945
20181,168,929+0.92%+10,734
20171,158,195+0.75%+8,688
20161,149,507+0.58%+6,694
20151,142,813+0.57%+6,514
20141,136,299+0.56%+6,309
20101,111,650+0.59%+6,497
20051,079,022+0.54%+5,863
20001,041,414+1.03%+10,632
1995970,433−0.08%−779
1990872,428+4.05%+34,628
1985706,196+3.66%+25,413
1980596,644+3.31%+19,445
1975507,673+2.94%+14,685
1970441,216+2.60%+11,341
1965388,336+2.52%+9,680
1960345,337––

Recent years annually, earlier years at five-year steps. Annual change compares against the immediately preceding year.

Eswatini population forecast

United Nations World Population Prospects 2024, medium variant.

Projected population of Eswatini
YearProjected populationvs today
20301,320,918+5.2%
20501,505,331+19.8%

Eswatini population pyramid (2025)

Age and sex structure from UN World Population Prospects 2024: 33.0% of Eswatini's population is under 15, 62.7% is of working age (15–64), and 4.3% is 65 or older. Hover any bar for the group's size.

MaleFemale
0%2%2%4%4%6%6%0-4 male: 71,107 (5.7%)0-4 female: 69,495 (5.5%)0-45-9 male: 69,679 (5.5%)5-9 female: 68,725 (5.5%)10-14 male: 67,757 (5.4%)10-14 female: 67,724 (5.4%)10-1415-19 male: 64,999 (5.2%)15-19 female: 65,058 (5.2%)20-24 male: 60,263 (4.8%)20-24 female: 59,246 (4.7%)20-2425-29 male: 55,447 (4.4%)25-29 female: 53,475 (4.3%)30-34 male: 49,189 (3.9%)30-34 female: 50,334 (4.0%)30-3435-39 male: 44,825 (3.6%)35-39 female: 46,061 (3.7%)40-44 male: 37,938 (3.0%)40-44 female: 38,643 (3.1%)40-4445-49 male: 28,409 (2.3%)45-49 female: 28,934 (2.3%)50-54 male: 19,267 (1.5%)50-54 female: 21,963 (1.7%)50-5455-59 male: 15,530 (1.2%)55-59 female: 20,206 (1.6%)60-64 male: 11,063 (0.9%)60-64 female: 16,247 (1.3%)60-6465-69 male: 9,039 (0.7%)65-69 female: 13,290 (1.1%)70-74 male: 6,170 (0.5%)70-74 female: 8,894 (0.7%)70-7475-79 male: 3,575 (0.3%)75-79 female: 5,920 (0.5%)80-84 male: 1,800 (0.1%)80-84 female: 3,303 (0.3%)80-8485-89 male: 743 (0.1%)85-89 female: 1,284 (0.1%)90-94 male: 170 (0.0%)90-94 female: 312 (0.0%)90-9495-99 male: 27 (0.0%)95-99 female: 57 (0.0%)100+ male: 2 (0.0%)100+ female: 7 (0.0%)100+

Eswatini population FAQ

What is the population of Eswatini in 2026?

Eswatini's population is estimated at about 1.27 million in 2026, extrapolated from the latest official figure of 1,256,174 (2025). Eswatini ranks 159th in the world by population.

Is the population of Eswatini growing or shrinking?

Eswatini's population is growing at about 1.07% per year, an increase of roughly 13,352 people over the past year.

How densely populated is Eswatini?

Eswatini has about 72 people per square kilometre across a land area of 17,200 km².

What share of the world's population lives in Eswatini?

Eswatini is home to about 0.02% of the world's population.

What is Eswatini's projected population in 2050?

United Nations medium-variant projections put Eswatini's population at 1,505,331 in 2050, passing through 1,320,918 in 2030.

What is the median age in Eswatini?

The median age in Eswatini is 22.5 years (2025 estimate) — half the population is younger and half older than that.

Sources: World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0); median age and projections from UN World Population Prospects 2024. Live figures are estimates extrapolated from the latest official data — see methodology.