Page last updated on January 28, 2014
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.
Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa
total: 17,364 sq km
country comparison to the world: 159
land: 17,204 sq km
water: 160 sq km
slightly smaller than New Jersey
total: 535 km
border countries: Mozambique 105 km, South Africa 430 km
varies from tropical to near temperate
mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains
lowest point: Great Usutu River 21 m
highest point: Emlembe 1,862 m
asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc
arable land: 10.08%
permanent crops: 0.86%
other: 89.06% (2011)
total: 1.04 cu km/yr (4%/2%/94%)
per capita: 962.1 cu m/yr (2005)
limited supplies of potable water; wildlife populations being depleted because of excessive hunting; overgrazing; soil degradation; soil erosion
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
landlocked; almost completely surrounded by South Africa
noun: Swazi(s)
adjective: Swazi
English (official, used for government business), siSwati (official)
Zionist 40% (a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship), Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 10%, other (includes Anglican, Baha'i, Methodist, Mormon, Jewish) 30%
1,403,362 (July 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 155
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
0-14 years: 36.9% (male 261,954/female 256,144)
15-24 years: 22.4% (male 158,947/female 155,421)
25-54 years: 32.7% (male 234,805/female 224,703)
55-64 years: 4.2% (male 23,287/female 35,900)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male 21,042/female 31,159) (2013 est.)
total dependency ratio: 70.4 %
youth dependency ratio: 64.4 %
elderly dependency ratio: 5.9 %
potential support ratio: 16.8 (2013)
total: 20.7 years
male: 20.4 years
female: 21.1 years (2013 est.)
1.17% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 99
25.68 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 54
13.95 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 11
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108
urban population: 21.2% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 1.19% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
MBABANE (capital) 74,000 (2009)
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: 1.03 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.65 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2013 est.)
320 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 36
total: 57.19 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 32
male: 61.21 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 53.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)
total population: 50.01 years
country comparison to the world: 220
male: 50.44 years
female: 49.56 years (2013 est.)
2.96 children born/woman (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 61
8% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 63
0.17 physicians/1,000 population (2009)
2.1 beds/1,000 population (2011)
25.9% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1
180,000 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 28
7,000 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 31
degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2013)
19.7% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 98
6.1% (2007)
country comparison to the world: 81
8.2% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 11
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87.8%
male: 88.4%
female: 87.3% (2011 est.)
total: 11 years
male: 12 years
female: 11 years (2011)
total number: 28,043
percentage: 9 % (2000 est.)
conventional long form: Kingdom of Swaziland
conventional short form: Swaziland
local long form: Umbuso weSwatini
local short form: eSwatini
name: Mbabane
geographic coordinates: 26 19 S, 31 08 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
note: Lobamba (royal and legislative capital)
4 districts; Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini, Shiselweni
6 September 1968 (from the UK)
Independence Day, 6 September (1968)
previous 1968, 1978; latest signed by the king 26 July 2005, effective 8 February 2006 (2013)
mixed legal system of civil, common, and customary law
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt
chief of state: King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986)
head of government: Prime Minister Barnabas Sibusiso DLAMINI (since 23 October 2008); Deputy Prime Minister Themba Nhlanganiso MASUKU (since 2008)
cabinet: Cabinet recommended by the prime minister and confirmed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch from among the elected members of the House of Assembly
bicameral Parliament or Libandla consists of the Senate (30 seats; 10 members elected by the House of Assembly and 20 appointed by the monarch; members to serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (65 seats; 10 members appointed by the monarch and 55 elected by popular vote; members to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held on 20 September 2013 (next scheduled for September 2018)
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
highest court(s): the Supreme Court of the Judicature comprising the Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and at least 5 justices) 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 law (jurisdiction restricted to customary law for Swazi citizens)
the status of political parties, previously banned, is unclear under the 2006 Constitution and currently being debated; the following are considered political associations
Swaziland Democracy Campaign
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
chief of mission: Ambassador Abednigo Mandla NTSHANGASE (since 19 July 2010)
chancery: 1712 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 234-5002
FAX: [1] (202) 234-8254
chief of mission: Ambassador Makila JAMES (since 27 August 2012)
embassy: 7th Floor, Central Bank Building, Mahlokohla St., Mbabane
mailing address: P. O. Box 199, Mbabane
telephone: [268] 404-6441
FAX: [268] 404-5959
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
name: "Nkulunkulu Mnikati wetibusiso temaSwati" (Oh God, Bestower of the Blessings of the Swazi)
lyrics/music: Andrease Enoke Fanyana SIMELANE/David Kenneth RYCROFT
note: adopted 1968; the anthem uses elements of both ethnic Swazi and Western music styles
Surrounded by South Africa, except for a short border with Mozambique, Swaziland depends heavily on South Africa from which it receives more than 90% of its imports and to which it sends 60% of its exports. Swaziland's currency is pegged to the South African rand, effectively subsuming Swaziland's monetary policy to South Africa. The government is heavily dependent on customs duties from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), and worker remittances from South Africa supplement domestically earned income. Subsistence agriculture employs approximately 70% of the population. The manufacturing sector has diversified since the mid-1980s. Sugar and wood pulp were major foreign exchange earners; however, the wood pulp producer closed in January 2010, and sugar is now the main export earner. Mining has declined in importance in recent years with only coal and quarry stone mines remaining active. Customs revenues plummeted due to the global economic crisis and a drop in South African imports. The resulting decline in revenue has pushed the country into a fiscal crisis. Swaziland is looking to other countries, including South Africa, for assistance, but continues to struggle to meet its monthly payroll and fund government programs. With an estimated 40% unemployment rate, Swaziland''s need to increase the number and size of small and medium enterprises and attract foreign direct investment is acute. Overgrazing, soil depletion, drought, and floods persist as problems for the future. More than one-fourth of the population needed emergency food aid in 2006-07 because of drought, and more than one-quarter of the adult population has been infected by HIV/AIDS.
$6.174 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 164
note: data are in 2012 US dollars
-1.5% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 202
$5,700 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 152
note: data are in 2012 US dollars
13.4% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 110
household consumption: 79.9%
government consumption: 20%
investment in fixed capital: 11.9%
investment in inventories: 0%
exports of goods and services: 59.3%
imports of goods and services: -71.2%
agriculture: 7.5%
industry: 47.9%
services: 44.6% (2012 est.)
sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep
coal, wood pulp, sugar, soft drink concentrates, textiles and apparel
-1.1% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 148
424,100 (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 159
agriculture: 70%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
40% (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 188
lowest 10%: 1.7%
highest 10%: 40.1% (2010 est.)
50.4 (2001)
country comparison to the world: 20
revenues: $1.451 billion
expenditures: $1.438 billion (2012 est.)
39.2% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 51
0.3% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41
8.9% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 191
6.5% (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 45
8.75% (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101
$403.3 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 164
$1.106 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 168
$762.9 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 158
$203.1 million (31 December 2007)
country comparison to the world: 113
$53 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 55
$1.681 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143
soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn, refrigerators, citrus and canned fruit
$1.578 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 172
motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals
$741 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143
$604.8 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 172
emalangeni per US dollar -
496 million kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 164
1.058 billion kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 149
0 kWh (2012)
country comparison to the world: 150
564 million kWh (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 75
149,000 kW (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162
59.7% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 135
0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 206
40.3% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 59
0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 142
0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 147
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 208
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 144
0 bbl (1 January 2010 es)
country comparison to the world: 206
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 146
4,567 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 171
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145
4,761 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 156
0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 211
0 cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 211
0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 209
0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81
0 cu m (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 208
1.024 million Mt (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 167
48,600 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 164
805,000 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 160
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 (Atlantic Ocean) (2009)
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)
2,744 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 158
90,100 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 162
14 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 149
total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2013)
total: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m:
total: 301 km
country comparison to the world: 120
narrow gauge: 301 km 1.067-m gauge (2008)
total: 3,594 km
country comparison to the world: 160
paved: 1,078 km
unpaved: 2,516 km (2002)
Umbutfo Swaziland Defense Force (USDF): Ground Force (includes Air Wing (no operational aircraft)) (2013)
18-30 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; no conscription; compulsory HIV testing required, only HIV-negative applicants accepted (2012)
males age 16-49: 344,038 (2010 est.)
males age 16-49: 201,853
females age 16-49: 175,477 (2010 est.)
male: 16,168
female: 15,763 (2010 est.)
3.17% of GDP (2012)
country comparison to the world: 57
