Annual change in population in Eswatini
Eswatini: Annual change in population was 11,586 people in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
11,586 people
Change on year
down 6.0%
World rank
136th
of 236 countries
All-time high
38,004 people
in 1989
All-time low
-782 people
in 1995
Years of data
73
1951–2023
Annual change in population in Eswatini, 1951–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Eswatini recorded 11,586 people for annual change in population in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.0% on the previous year and up 89.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual change in population in Eswatini peaked at 38,004 people in 1989 and was at its lowest, -782 people, in 1995.
That places Eswatini 136th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual change in population in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 6,948 people | — |
| 1952 | 7,019 people | +1.0% |
| 1953 | 7,105 people | +1.2% |
| 1954 | 7,201 people | +1.4% |
| 1955 | 7,279 people | +1.1% |
| 1956 | 7,398 people | +1.6% |
| 1957 | 7,511 people | +1.5% |
| 1958 | 7,639 people | +1.7% |
| 1959 | 7,751 people | +1.5% |
| 1960 | 7,818 people | +0.9% |
| 1961 | 7,926 people | +1.4% |
| 1962 | 8,111 people | +2.3% |
| 1963 | 8,392 people | +3.5% |
| 1964 | 8,892 people | +6.0% |
| 1965 | 9,682 people | +8.9% |
| 1966 | 10,431 people | +7.7% |
| 1967 | 10,271 people | -1.5% |
| 1968 | 10,110 people | -1.6% |
| 1969 | 10,730 people | +6.1% |
| 1970 | 11,339 people | +5.7% |
| 1971 | 11,969 people | +5.6% |
| 1972 | 12,599 people | +5.3% |
| 1973 | 13,252 people | +5.2% |
| 1974 | 13,961 people | +5.4% |
| 1975 | 14,671 people | +5.1% |
| 1976 | 15,664 people | +6.8% |
| 1977 | 17,014 people | +8.6% |
| 1978 | 18,093 people | +6.3% |
| 1979 | 18,762 people | +3.7% |
| 1980 | 19,449 people | +3.7% |
| 1981 | 20,159 people | +3.7% |
| 1982 | 20,840 people | +3.4% |
| 1983 | 21,302 people | +2.2% |
| 1984 | 21,832 people | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 25,414 people | +16.4% |
| 1986 | 28,532 people | +12.3% |
| 1987 | 29,076 people | +1.9% |
| 1988 | 35,994 people | +23.8% |
| 1989 | 38,004 people | +5.6% |
| 1990 | 34,626 people | -8.9% |
| 1991 | 35,757 people | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 35,233 people | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 27,901 people | -20.8% |
| 1994 | -106 people | -100.4% |
| 1995 | -782 people | +637.7% |
| 1996 | 19,408 people | -2581.8% |
| 1997 | 16,800 people | -13.4% |
| 1998 | 13,010 people | -22.6% |
| 1999 | 11,128 people | -14.5% |
| 2000 | 10,643 people | -4.4% |
| 2001 | 9,638 people | -9.4% |
| 2002 | 8,390 people | -12.9% |
| 2003 | 7,250 people | -13.6% |
| 2004 | 6,464 people | -10.8% |
| 2005 | 5,852 people | -9.5% |
| 2006 | 5,420 people | -7.4% |
| 2007 | 6,271 people | +15.7% |
| 2008 | 7,385 people | +17.8% |
| 2009 | 7,060 people | -4.4% |
| 2010 | 6,493 people | -8.0% |
| 2011 | 6,194 people | -4.6% |
| 2012 | 6,025 people | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 6,130 people | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 6,305 people | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 6,517 people | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 6,694 people | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 8,682 people | +29.7% |
| 2018 | 10,735 people | +23.6% |
| 2019 | 10,952 people | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 12,849 people | +17.3% |
| 2021 | 13,864 people | +7.9% |
| 2022 | 12,323 people | -11.1% |
| 2023 | 11,586 people | -6.0% |
Eswatini compared with similar countries
- Eswatini's 11,586 people is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 167,005 people, 7% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Eswatini's 11,586 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 359,940 people, 3% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual change in population in Eswatini changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | +2581.8% | -782 people | 19,408 people |
| 1995 | -637.7% | -106 people | -782 people |
| 1994 | -100.4% | 27,901 people | -106 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 7,317 people | 6,948 people | 7,751 people | 9 |
| 1960s | 9,236 people | 7,818 people | 10,730 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 14,732 people | 11,339 people | 18,762 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 26,060 people | 19,449 people | 38,004 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 19,298 people | -782 people | 35,757 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 7,437 people | 5,420 people | 10,643 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 7,473 people | 6,025 people | 10,952 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 12,656 people | 11,586 people | 13,864 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Eswatini
More population data for Eswatini
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.6638 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.312 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.6638 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.0005 % change on previous year (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -1.06 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.7% (2100)
- Population density 77.96 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 74,031 people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.7% (2100)
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, annual growth rate 2.89 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual change in population in Eswatini?
- Annual change in population in Eswatini was 11,586 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual change in population recorded in Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 38,004 people in 1989.
- What is the lowest annual change in population recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was -782 people in 1995.
- How does Eswatini rank for annual change in population?
- Eswatini ranks 136th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual change in population rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is up 89.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Eswatini data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual change in population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 73 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual change in population, calculated as the difference between population on 1 July of consecutive years.