Rural population in Eswatini
Eswatini: Rural population was 75.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Eswatini, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Eswatini recorded 75.0% for rural population in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 55 years on record.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Eswatini peaked at 90.3% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 75.0%, in 2024.
That places Eswatini 17th out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Rural population in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 90.3% | — |
| 1971 | 89.5% | -0.8% |
| 1972 | 88.7% | -0.9% |
| 1973 | 87.9% | -1.0% |
| 1974 | 87.0% | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 86.0% | -1.1% |
| 1976 | 85.0% | -1.2% |
| 1977 | 84.5% | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 84.2% | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 83.9% | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 83.5% | -0.4% |
| 1981 | 83.2% | -0.4% |
| 1982 | 82.8% | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 82.5% | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 82.1% | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 81.7% | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 81.4% | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 81.0% | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 80.6% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 80.2% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 79.8% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 79.4% | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 79.0% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 78.6% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 78.1% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 77.7% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 77.3% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 76.9% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 77.1% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 77.2% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 77.3% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 77.4% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 77.6% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 77.7% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 77.8% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 78.0% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 78.1% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 78.2% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 78.0% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 77.7% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 77.5% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 77.3% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 77.2% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 77.0% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 76.9% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 76.7% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 76.5% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 76.4% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 76.2% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 76.0% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 75.8% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 75.6% | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 75.4% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 75.2% | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 75.0% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 86.7% | 83.9% | 90.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 81.9% | 80.2% | 83.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 78.1% | 76.9% | 79.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 77.8% | 77.3% | 78.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 76.8% | 76.0% | 77.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 75.4% | 75.0% | 75.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Eswatini
More population data for Eswatini
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -1.06 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.662 (2100)
- Population density 77.96 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 74,031 (2100)
- Population growth rate by level of development -0.662 (2100)
- Fertility and wanted fertility, annual growth rate -1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum, gaps filled 1,295 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum, per capita 0.001 units per person (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception, annual growth rate -1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception, annual growth rate -1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Eswatini?
- Rural population in Eswatini was 75.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 90.3% in 1970.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was 75.0% in 2024.
- How does Eswatini rank for rural population?
- Eswatini ranks 17th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Eswatini data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release