Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Eswatini
Eswatini: Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas was 0.0% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Eswatini, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Eswatini is 0.0%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of down 100.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Eswatini peaked at 8.0% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1950.
That places Eswatini 190th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0.0% | — |
| 1955 | 0.0% | — |
| 1960 | 0.0% | — |
| 1965 | 0.0% | — |
| 1970 | 0.0% | — |
| 1975 | 0.0% | — |
| 1980 | 0.0% | — |
| 1985 | 0.0% | — |
| 1990 | 0.0% | — |
| 1995 | 7.8% | — |
| 2000 | 7.7% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 7.7% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 7.9% | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 8.0% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1980s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1990s | 3.9% | 0.0% | 7.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 7.7% | 7.7% | 7.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 8.0% | 7.9% | 8.0% | 2 |
| 2020s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Eswatini
- 187 Papua New Guinea 11.0% compare
- 188 Malawi 10.8% compare
- 189 Lao People's Democratic Republic 4.5% compare
- 190 American Samoa 0.0%
- 190 Andorra 0.0%
- 190 Anguilla 0.0%
- 190 Antigua and Barbuda 0.0%
- 190 Aruba 0.0%
- 190 Bermuda 0.0%
- 190 Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba 0.0%
- 190 British Virgin Islands 0.0%
- 190 Cayman Islands 0.0%
- 190 Cook Islands 0.0%
- 190 Dominica 0.0%
- 190 Falkland Islands, Malvinas 0.0%
- 190 Faroe Islands 0.0%
- 190 Greenland 0.0%
- 190 Grenada 0.0%
- 190 Guadeloupe 0.0% compare
- 190 Guam 0.0%
- 190 Guernsey 0.0%
- 190 Isle of Man 0.0%
- 190 Kiribati 0.0%
- 190 Liechtenstein 0.0%
- 190 Marshall Islands 0.0%
- 190 Micronesia, Federated States of 0.0%
- 190 Montserrat 0.0%
- 190 Naoero 0.0%
- 190 Niue 0.0%
- 190 Northern Mariana Islands 0.0%
- 190 Palau 0.0%
- 190 Saint Barthelemy 0.0%
- 190 Saint Helena 0.0%
- 190 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0.0%
- 190 Saint Lucia 0.0%
- 190 Saint Martin (French part) 0.0%
- 190 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 0.0%
- 190 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 0.0%
- 190 Samoa 0.0%
- 190 San Marino 0.0%
- 190 Seychelles 0.0%
- 190 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 0.0%
- 190 Tokelau 0.0%
- 190 Tonga 0.0%
- 190 Turks and Caicos Islands 0.0%
- 190 Tuvalu 0.0%
- 190 United States Virgin Islands 0.0%
- 190 Vanuatu 0.0%
- 190 Wallis and Futuna 0.0%
More population data for Eswatini
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.0005 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run 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 regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.6638 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.7% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 74,031 people (2100)
- Population density 77.96 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.7% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -1.06 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, per capita 0.7328 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Eswatini?
- Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Eswatini was 0.0% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 8.0% in 2015.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1950.
- How does Eswatini rank for share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Eswatini ranks 190th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is down 100.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Eswatini data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in cities. Cities are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.