Eswatini at its true size
Eswatini covers 17,364 km², number 154 of 194 countries by area. Home to 1,256,174 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 17,364 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 1,256,174 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 72 per km² |
| Capital | Mbabane |
| Local time in Mbabane | |
| Time zone | UTC+2 IANA |
| Currency | Lilangeni (SZL) Wikidata |
| Languages | English, Swazi |
| Traffic | On the left |
| Region | Southern Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Landlocked |
| Calling code | +268 |
| Codes | SZ · SWZ · 748 |
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Where Eswatini ranks
Among the independent states, in 42 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#155 of 1941.3 million people#48 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#113 of 19472 people per km²#26 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#176 of 19227% urban#49 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#60 of 1922.72 births per woman#43 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#93 of 192+1.07% a year#49 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#56 of 19223.6 births per 1,000 people#44 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#79 of 1927.7 deaths per 1,000 people#19 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#57 of 19233.0% under 15#43 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#137 of 1924.3% aged 65 and over#12 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#172 of 192−4.6 per 1,000 people#53 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#106 of 1900.18 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#42 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
Economy
- GNI per capita#129 of 185$3,730 a person#15 of 52 in Africa
- Internet users#131 of 18463% online#14 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#119 of 184$12,529 a person#11 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#65 of 187+4.2% a year#29 of 52 in Africa
- Unemployment#1 of 17834.2% of the labour force#1 of 53 in Africa
- Extreme poverty#14 of 14944.5% under $3.00 a day#14 of 47 in Africa
- Income inequality (Gini)#3 of 149a Gini index of 54.6#3 of 47 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#93 of 17814.5% of jobs#45 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#29 of 17826.7% of jobs#5 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#87 of 17858.7% of jobs#9 of 53 in Africa
- Foreign investment#126 of 1841.0% of GDP#42 of 52 in Africa
- Exports#43 of 16853.8% of GDP#6 of 49 in Africa
- Military spending#83 of 1551.6% of GDP#21 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#36 of 191140 subscriptions per 100 people#8 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#132 of 1850.88 tonnes a person#16 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#108 of 19225% forest#22 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#32 of 19064.7% renewable#28 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#139 of 19289.3% with electricity#12 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#102 of 19116.7 µg/m³#43 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#169 of 1914.2% of the land protected#46 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#99 of 19010.3% of the land arable#30 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#23 of 17677.6% of its available fresh water#6 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#106 of 180788 mm a year#32 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Eswatini’s area, lit up on the map →
- Kuwait0.97×Eswatini and Kuwait are almost exactly the same size.
- Fiji0.95×Eswatini is 5% smaller than Fiji.
- Timor-Leste1.16×Eswatini is 16% larger than Timor-Leste.
- Slovenia0.86×Eswatini is 14% smaller than Slovenia.
- Israel0.84×Eswatini is 16% smaller than Israel.
- El Salvador0.83×Eswatini is 17% smaller than El Salvador.
How many times does Eswatini fit into…
- Russia: about 983 times
- Canada: about 575 times
- United States: about 566 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Eswatini shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Summits
- Emlembe1,862 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Eswatini. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Eswatini
- How big is Eswatini?
- Eswatini covers 17,364 km², which makes it number 154 of 194 countries by area. About 1,256,174 people live there (2025), 72 per km².
- Is Eswatini bigger than Kuwait?
- Eswatini and Kuwait are almost exactly the same size. Eswatini: 17,364 km²; Kuwait: 17,818 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Eswatini?
- Eswatini lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Eswatini?
- Eswatini shares a land border with South Africa, Mozambique.