Birth rate in Eswatini
Eswatini: Birth rate was 24.07 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
24.07 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 2.2%
World rank
59th
of 236 countries
All-time high
50.68 births per 1,000 people
in 1976
All-time low
24.07 births per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Birth rate in Eswatini, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for birth rate in Eswatini is 24.07 births per 1,000 people, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.2% on the previous year and down 18.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in Eswatini peaked at 50.68 births per 1,000 people in 1976 and was at its lowest, 24.07 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
Eswatini ranks 59th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Birth rate in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | births per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 50.31 births per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 49.84 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1952 | 49.33 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1953 | 48.9 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1954 | 48.52 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1955 | 48.21 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1956 | 47.94 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1957 | 47.73 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1958 | 47.57 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1959 | 47.46 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1960 | 47.39 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1961 | 47.35 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1962 | 47.34 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1963 | 47.3 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 47.14 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 47.19 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 47.44 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1967 | 47.53 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 48.05 births per 1,000 people | +1.1% |
| 1969 | 48.61 births per 1,000 people | +1.2% |
| 1970 | 49.05 births per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1971 | 49.48 births per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 49.79 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 50.09 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 50.35 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 50.57 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 50.68 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 50.61 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 50.4 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 50.09 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 49.8 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 49.46 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 48.94 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1983 | 48.4 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 47.8 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1985 | 46.87 births per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 1986 | 45.37 births per 1,000 people | -3.2% |
| 1987 | 43.89 births per 1,000 people | -3.3% |
| 1988 | 42.16 births per 1,000 people | -4.0% |
| 1989 | 41.61 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1990 | 40.43 births per 1,000 people | -2.8% |
| 1991 | 39.51 births per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 1992 | 38.68 births per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 1993 | 37.91 births per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 37.33 births per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 33.98 births per 1,000 people | -9.0% |
| 1996 | 33.13 births per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 1997 | 32.38 births per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 1998 | 32.16 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 32.49 births per 1,000 people | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 32.59 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 32.44 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 32.25 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 32.33 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 32.56 births per 1,000 people | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 32.53 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 32.23 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 32.16 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 32.28 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 31.89 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 30.87 births per 1,000 people | -3.2% |
| 2011 | 30.4 births per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 29.95 births per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 29.65 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 29.02 births per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 28.31 births per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 2016 | 27.62 births per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 26.93 births per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 26.41 births per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 25.89 births per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 25.39 births per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 24.96 births per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 24.61 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 24.07 births per 1,000 people | -2.2% |
Eswatini compared with similar countries
- Eswatini's 24.07 births per 1,000 people is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 25.89 births per 1,000 people, 93% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Eswatini's 24.07 births per 1,000 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 31.17 births per 1,000 people, 77% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 48.58 births per 1,000 people | 47.46 births per 1,000 people | 50.31 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 47.53 births per 1,000 people | 47.14 births per 1,000 people | 48.61 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 50.11 births per 1,000 people | 49.05 births per 1,000 people | 50.68 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 46.43 births per 1,000 people | 41.61 births per 1,000 people | 49.8 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 35.8 births per 1,000 people | 32.16 births per 1,000 people | 40.43 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.33 births per 1,000 people | 31.89 births per 1,000 people | 32.59 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.5 births per 1,000 people | 25.89 births per 1,000 people | 30.87 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.76 births per 1,000 people | 24.07 births per 1,000 people | 25.39 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Eswatini
- 56 Botswana 24.71 births per 1,000 people compare
- 57 Papua New Guinea 24.58 births per 1,000 people compare
- 58 Lesotho 24.11 births per 1,000 people compare
- 60 Tonga 23.12 births per 1,000 people compare
- 61 Tuvalu 23.07 births per 1,000 people compare
- 62 Micronesia (country) 22.3 births per 1,000 people compare
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 birth rate in Eswatini?
- Birth rate in Eswatini was 24.07 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 50.68 births per 1,000 people in 1976.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.07 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Eswatini rank for birth rate?
- Eswatini ranks 59th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Eswatini data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total number of births per 1,000 people in a given year.