Aid, poverty & equality · Sub-Saharan Africa · Lower-middle income
Eswatini: poverty, inequality and aid
Extreme poverty is 44.5% (2016), 14th of 151 in the world and 14th of 44 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Poverty, $4.20/day is 58.3% (2016), 22nd of 151 in the world and 22nd of 44 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Poverty, $8.30/day is 79.3% (2016), 35th of 151 in the world and 29th of 44 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Undernourishment
EswatiniSub-Saharan AfricaLower-middle incomeWorld
Women in parliament
EswatiniSub-Saharan AfricaLower-middle incomeWorld
14 indicators
Aid, poverty & equality: Eswatini in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Sub-Saharan Africa; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme povertyExtreme poverty, $3.00 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 44.5%2016 | 14/151 | 14/44 | 65.0% | 58.2%2009 | · | −20.5 ppsince 2000 | 45.0% | 12.4% | 10.1% | |
| Poverty, $4.20/dayPoverty at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 58.3%2016 | 22/151 | 22/44 | 76.7% | 69.8%2009 | · | −18.4 ppsince 2000 | 63.2% | 26.9% | 18.2% | |
| Poverty, $8.30/dayPoverty at $8.30 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 79.3%2016 | 35/151 | 29/44 | 90.4% | 88.1%2009 | · | −11.1 ppsince 2000 | 88.6% | 76.8% | 46.2% | |
| National poverty ratePoverty at national poverty lines, % of population | 53.5%2023 | 13/145 | 11/45 | 69.0% | 63.0%2009 | · | −9.5 ppsince 2009 | — | — | — | |
| Gini indexGini index of income inequality | 54.62016 | 3/151 | 3/44 | 53.1 | 51.42009 | · | +2.8%since 2000 | — | — | — | |
| Top 10% income shareIncome share held by the richest 10% | 42.7%2016 | 4/151 | 3/44 | 44.1% | 40.0%2009 | · | −1.4 ppsince 2000 | — | — | — | |
| Bottom 20% income shareIncome share held by the poorest 20% | 3.7%2016 | 146/151 | 42/44 | 4.5% | 4.0%2009 | · | −0.8 ppsince 2000 | — | — | — | |
| UndernourishmentPrevalence of undernourishment, % of population | 15.1%2024 | 38/167 | 28/44 | 9.9%2001 | 26.6% | 13.6% | −3.0 ppsince 2014 | 22.3% | 12.1% | 8.1% | |
| Food insecurityModerate or severe food insecurity, % of population | 61.7%2024 | 20/155 | 17/38 | · | · | 59.4% | — | — | 41.8% | 28.0% | |
| Account ownershipAccount ownership (bank or mobile money), % of adults | 65.1%2024 | 82/145 | 10/36 | · | 28.6%2011 | 66.2%2022 | +36.5 ppsince 2011 | 55.1% | 70.4% | 78.7% | |
| Women in parliamentSeats held by women in national parliament, % | 21.6%2025 | 115/190 | 25/46 | 3.1% | 13.6% | 9.6% | +15.5 ppsince 2015 | 27.0% | 23.6% | 27.2% | |
| Net ODA receivedNet official development assistance received, US$ | $110m2023 | 114/145 | 42/48 | $13.1m | $90.0m | $106m | −6.3%since 2013 | $64.8bn | $59.2bn | $259bn | |
| ODA, % of GNINet ODA received, % of GNI | 2.6%2023 | 70/139 | 34/47 | 0.8% | 2.2% | 2.8% | −0.2 ppsince 2013 | 3.1% | 0.9% | 0.2% | |
| ODA per personNet ODA received per capita, US$ | $89.72023 | 52/145 | 14/48 | $12.6 | $81.0 | $89.3 | −14%since 2013 | $51.5 | $20.6 | $32.2 |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Extreme poverty−20.5 pp44.5% in 2016
- Poverty, $4.20/day−18.4 pp58.3% in 2016
- Poverty, $8.30/day−11.1 pp79.3% in 2016
- National poverty rate−9.5 pp53.5% in 2023
Worse than ten years ago
- Gini index+2.8%54.6 in 2016
- Bottom 20% income share−0.8 pp3.7% in 2016
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Eswatini and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Eswatini. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Eswatini | South Africa | Mozambique |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme poverty | 44.5%2016 | 17.4%2022 | 81.4%2022 |
| Poverty, $4.20/day | 58.3%2016 | 30.2%2022 | 89.1%2022 |
| Poverty, $8.30/day | 79.3%2016 | 59.6%2022 | 96.3%2022 |
| National poverty rate | 53.5%2023 | 37.9%2022 | 65.0%2022 |
| Gini index | 54.62016 | 54.12022 | 49.62022 |
| Top 10% income share | 42.7%2016 | 42.1%2022 | 40.8%2022 |
| Bottom 20% income share | 3.7%2016 | 3.7%2022 | 4.7%2022 |
| Undernourishment | 15.1%2024 | 11.2%2024 | 22.3%2024 |
| Food insecurity | 61.7%2024 | 20.9%2024 | — |