Eswatini

total: 12,000 (2020 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2020 est.)

1 state-owned TV station; satellite dishes are able to access South African providers; state-owned radio network with 3 channels; 1 private radio station (2019)

.sz

total: 539,623 (2019 est.) percent of population: 47% (2019 est.)

general assessment: Eswatini was one of the last countries in the world to open up its telecom market to competition; until 2011 the state-owned Eswatini Posts and Telecommunications also acted as the industry regulator and had a stake in the country s sole mobile network; a new independent regulatory authority was established in late 2013 and has since embarked on significant changes to the sector; mobile market subscriptions have been affected by the common use among subscribers when they use SIM cards from different networks in order to access cheaper on-net calls; subscriber growth has slowed in recent years, but was expected to have reached 8% in 2021, as people adapted to the changing needs for connectivity caused by the pandemic; the internet sector has been open to competition with a small number of licensed ISPs; DSL services were introduced in 2008, development of the sector has been hampered by the limited fixed-line infrastructure and by a lack of competition in the access and backbone networks; Eswatini is landlocked and so depends on neighboring countries for international bandwidth; this has meant that access pricing is relatively high, and market subscriptions remains relatively low; prices have fallen recently in line with greater bandwidth availability resulting from several new submarine cable systems which have reached the region in recent years; in September 2020 a terrestrial cable linked Mozambique with Eswatini and South Africa (2022) domestic: Eswatini has 2 mobile-cellular providers; communication infrastructure has a geographic coverage of about 90% and a rising subscriber base; fixed-line stands at nearly 3 per 100 and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 107 telephones per 100 persons; telephone system consists of carrier-equipped, open-wire lines and low-capacity, microwave radio relay (2020) international: country code - 268; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced a downturn, particularly in mobile device production; progress toward 5G implementation has resumed, as well as upgrades to infrastructure; consumer spending on telecom services has increased due to the surge in demand for capacity and bandwidth; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home is still evident, and the spike in this area has seen growth opportunities for development of new tools and increased services

total subscriptions: 39,000 (2020 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 3 (2020 est.)

total subscriptions: 1.243 million (2020 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 107 (2020 est.)

sugar cane, maize, roots/tubers nes, grapefruit, oranges, milk, beef, potatoes, vegetables, bananas

revenues: 1.263 billion (2017 est.) expenditures: 1.639 billion (2017 est.)

-8.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Moody's rating: B3 (2020) note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

$604 million (2017 est.) $642 million (2016 est.)

$535 million (2019 est.) $456 million (2018 est.)

A small, landlocked kingdom, Eswatini is bordered in the north, west and south by the Republic of South Africa and by Mozambique in the east. Eswatini depends on South Africa for a majority of its exports and imports. Eswatini's currency is pegged to the South African rand, effectively relinquishing Eswatini's monetary policy to South Africa. The government is dependent on customs duties from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) for almost half of its revenue. Eswatini is a lower middle income country. As of 2017, more than one-quarter of the adult population was infected by HIV/AIDS; Eswatini has the world s highest HIV prevalence rate, a financial strain and source of economic instability. The manufacturing sector diversified in the 1980s and 1990s, but manufacturing has grown little in the last decade. Sugar and soft drink concentrate are the largest foreign exchange earners, although a drought in 2015-16 decreased sugar production and exports. Overgrazing, soil depletion, drought, and floods are persistent problems. Mining has declined in importance in recent years. Coal, gold, diamond, and quarry stone mines are small scale, and the only iron ore mine closed in 2014. With an estimated 28% unemployment rate, Eswatini's need to increase the number and size of small and medium enterprises and to attract foreign direct investment is acute. Eswatini's national development strategy, which expires in 2022, prioritizes increases in infrastructure, agriculture production, and economic diversification, while aiming to reduce poverty and government spending. Eswatini's revenue from SACU receipts are likely to continue to decline as South Africa pushes for a new distribution scheme, making it harder for the government to maintain fiscal balance without introducing new sources of revenue.

emalangeni per US dollar - 14.44 (2017 est.) 14.6924 (2016 est.) 14.6924 (2015 est.) 12.7581 (2014 est.) 10.8469 (2013 est.)

$1.81 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars $2.07 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars $1.9 billion (2018 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

soft drink concentrates, sugar, timber, cotton yarn, refrigerators, citrus, and canned fruit

South Africa 94% (2017)

1 April - 31 March

$4.484 billion (2019 est.)

household consumption: 64% (2017 est.) government consumption: 21.3% (2017 est.) investment in fixed capital: 13.4% (2017 est.) investment in inventories: -0.1% (2017 est.) exports of goods and services: 47.9% (2017 est.) imports of goods and services: -46.3% (2017 est.)

agriculture: 6.5% (2017 est.) industry: 45% (2017 est.) services: 48.6% (2017 est.)

54.6 (2016 est.)

lowest 10%: 1.7% highest 10%: 40.1% (2010 est.)

$1.7 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars $1.93 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars $2.07 billion (2018 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals

South Africa 81.6%, China 5.2% (2017)

5.6% (2017 est.)

soft drink concentrates, coal, forestry, sugar processing, textiles, and apparel

6.2% (2017 est.) 7.8% (2016 est.)

427,900 (2016 est.)

agriculture: 10.7% industry: 30.4% services: 58.9% (2014 est.)

58.9% (2016 est.)

28.4% of GDP (2017 est.) 25.5% of GDP (2016 est.)

$9.74 billion (2020 est.) $9.9 billion (2019 est.) $9.68 billion (2018 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars

1.6% (2017 est.) 1.4% (2016 est.) 0.4% (2015 est.)

$8,400 (2020 est.) $8,600 (2019 est.) $8,500 (2018 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars

$563.1 million (31 December 2017 est.) $564.4 million (31 December 2016 est.)

28.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

28% (2014 est.) 28% (2013 est.)

total: 47.1% male: 44.2% female: 50% (2016)

1.224 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.) from coal and metallurgical coke: 350,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 875,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.) from consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

production: 108,000 metric tons (2020 est.) consumption: 169,000 metric tons (2020 est.) exports: 163,000 metric tons (2020 est.) imports: 135,000 metric tons (2020 est.) proven reserves: 144 million metric tons (2019 est.)

installed generating capacity: 286,000 kW (2020 est.) consumption: 1,448,308,000 kWh (2019 est.) exports: 0 kWh (2019 est.) imports: 942 million kWh (2019 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 154.7 million kWh (2019 est.)

electrification - total population: 90% (2019) electrification - urban areas: 98% (2019) electrification - rural areas: 87% (2019)

fossil fuels: 44.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) solar: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) hydroelectricity: 24.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) biomass and waste: 31% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

19.371 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.) consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.) exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.) imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.) proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.) refined petroleum consumption: 6,000 bbl/day (2019 est.) crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.) crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.) crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

5,279 bbl/day (2015 est.)

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

particulate matter emissions: 16.26 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.) carbon dioxide emissions: 1.16 megatons (2016 est.) methane emissions: 1.9 megatons (2020 est.)

varies from tropical to near temperate

limited supplies of potable water; wildlife populations being depleted because of excessive hunting; population growth, deforestation, and overgrazing lead to soil erosion and soil degradation

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

severe localized food insecurity: due to higher staple food prices - the price of maize meal, the key food staple, increased in the first five months of 2022 and, as of May 2022, were 3 percent higher on a yearly basis; wheat flour prices were also at record highs in May 2022; this mainly reflects the elevated global prices and the country s high dependence on imported wheat to satisfy national consumption needs (2022)

agricultural land: 68.3% (2018 est.) arable land: 9.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 57.7% (2018 est.) forest: 31.7% (2018 est.) other: 0% (2018 est.)

degree of risk: intermediate (2020) food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria water contact diseases: schistosomiasis

coal revenues: 0.1% of GDP (2018 est.)

forest revenues: 2.25% of GDP (2018 est.)

4.51 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

municipal: 41.3 million cubic meters (2017 est.) industrial: 20.7 million cubic meters (2017 est.) agricultural: 1.006 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

urban population: 24.8% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 2.42% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually: 218,199 tons (2016 est.)

total: 17,364 sq km land: 17,204 sq km water: 160 sq km

slightly smaller than New Jersey

varies from tropical to near temperate

0 km (landlocked)

highest point: Emlembe 1,862 m lowest point: Great Usutu River 21 m mean elevation: 305 m

26 30 S, 31 30 E

landlocked; almost completely surrounded by South Africa

500 sq km (2012)

total: 546 km border countries (2): Mozambique 108 km; South Africa 438 km

agricultural land: 68.3% (2018 est.) arable land: 9.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.8% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 57.7% (2018 est.) forest: 31.7% (2018 est.) other: 0% (2018 est.)

Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa

Africa

none (landlocked)

drought

asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc

because of its mountainous terrain, the population distribution is uneven throughout the country, concentrating primarily in valleys and plains as shown in this population distribution map

mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains

4 regions; Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini, Shiselweni

name: Mbabane (administrative capital); Lobamba (royal and legislative capital) geographic coordinates: 26 19 S, 31 08 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: named after a Swati chief, Mbabane KUNENE, who lived in the area at the onset of British settlement

citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: both parents must be citizens of Eswatini dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

history: previous 1968, 1978; latest signed by the king 26 July 2005, effective 8 February 2006 amendments: proposed at a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament; passage requires majority vote by both houses and/or majority vote in a referendum, and assent of the king; passage of amendments affecting "specially entrenched" constitutional provisions requires at least three-fourths majority vote by both houses, passage by simple majority vote in a referendum, and assent of the king; passage of "entrenched" provisions requires at least two-thirds majority vote of both houses, passage in a referendum, and assent of the king

conventional long form: Kingdom of Eswatini conventional short form: Eswatini local long form: Umbuso weSwatini local short form: eSwatini former: Swaziland etymology: the country name derives from 19th century King MSWATI II, under whose rule Swati territory was expanded and unified note: pronounced ay-swatini or eh-swatini

chief of mission: Ambassador Jeanne M. MALONEY (since 4 March 2021) embassy: Corner of MR 103 and Cultural Center Drive, Ezulwini, P.O. Box D202, The Gables, H106 mailing address: 2350 Mbabane Place, Washington DC 20521-2350 telephone: (268) 2417-9000 FAX: [268] 2416-3344 email address and website: ConsularMbabane@state.gov https://sz.usembassy.gov/

chief of mission: Ambassador Kennedy Fitzgerald GROENING (7 June 2022) chancery: 1712 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-5002 FAX: [1] (202) 234-8254 email address and website: embassy@swaziland-usa.com; swaziland@compuserve.com

chief of state: King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986) head of government: Prime Minister Cleopas DLAMINI (since since 19 July 2021); Deputy Prime Minister Themba MASUKU (since 6 November 2018) cabinet: Cabinet recommended by the prime minister, confirmed by the monarch; at least one-half of the cabinet membership must be appointed from among elected members of the House of Assembly elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch from among members of the House of Assembly

three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in yellow; centered in the red band is a large black and white shield covering two spears and a staff decorated with feather tassels, all placed horizontally; blue stands for peace and stability, red represents past struggles, and yellow the mineral resources of the country; the shield, spears, and staff symbolize protection from the country's enemies, while the black and white of the shield are meant to portray black and white people living in peaceful coexistence

absolute monarchy

6 September 1968 (from the UK)

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and at least 4 justices) and the High Court (consists of the chief justice - ex officio - and 4 justices); note - the Supreme Court has jurisdiction in all constitutional matters judge selection and term of office: justices of the Supreme Court and High Court appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), a judicial advisory body consisting of the Supreme Court Chief Justice, 4 members appointed by the monarch, and the chairman of the Civil Service Commission; justices of both courts eligible for retirement at age 65 with mandatory retirement at age 75 subordinate courts: magistrates' courts; National Swazi Courts for administering customary/traditional laws (jurisdiction restricted to customary law for Swazi citizens)

mixed legal system of civil, common, and customary law

description: bicameral Parliament (Libandla) consists of: Senate (30 seats; 20 members appointed by the monarch and 10 indirectly elected by simple majority vote by the House of Assembly; members serve 5-year terms) House of Assembly (70 seats statutory, current 74; 59 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies or tinkhundla by absolute majority vote in 2 rounds if needed, 10 members appointed by the monarch, 4 women elected by the members if representation of elected women is less than 30%, and 1 ex-officio member - the attorney general; members serve 5-year terms) elections: Senate - last held on 23 October 2018 (next to be held - 31 October 2023) House of Assembly - last held on 21 September 2018 (next to be held in 2023) election results: Senate - percent of seats by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 18, women 12, percent of women 40% House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - independent 59; composition - men 65, women 9, percent of women 12.2%; note - total Parliament percent of women 20.2%

name: "Nkulunkulu Mnikati wetibusiso temaSwati" (Oh God, Bestower of the Blessings of the Swazi) lyrics/music: Andrease Enoke Fanyana SIMELANE/David Kenneth RYCROFT note: adopted 1968; uses elements of both ethnic Swazi and Western music styles

Independence Day (Somhlolo Day), 6 September (1968)

lion, elephant; national colors: blue, yellow, red

political parties exist but conditions for their operations, particularly in elections, are undefined, legally unclear, or culturally restricted; the following are considered political associations: African United Democratic Party or AUDP [Sibusiso DLAMINI] Ngwane National Liberatory Congress or NNLC [Sibongile MAZIBUKO] People's United Democratic Movement or PUDEMO [Mlungisi MAKHANYA] Swazi Democratic Party or SWADEPA [Jan SITHOLE]

18 years of age

Autonomy for Eswatini was guaranteed by the British in the late 19th century; independence was granted in 1968. A new constitution came into effect in 2006, which included provisions for a more independent parliament and judiciary, but the legal status of political parties remains unclear. King MSWATI III renamed the country from Swaziland to Eswatini in April 2018. Despite its classification as a lower-middle income country, Eswatini suffers from severe poverty and high unemployment. Eswatini has the world's highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate, although recent years have shown marked declines in new infections.

the UEDF was originally created in 1973 as the Royal Swaziland Defense Force; the UEDF s primary mission is external security but it also has domestic security responsibilities, including protecting members of the royal family; the king is the UEDF commander in chief and holds the position of minister of defense, although the UEDF reports to the Army commander and principal undersecretary of defense for day-to-day operations; the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) is responsible for maintaining internal security as well as migration and border crossing enforcement; it is under the prime minister, although the king is the force s titular commissioner in chief (2022)

Umbutfo Eswatini Defense Force (UEDF): Army (includes a small air wing) (2022)

approximately 3,000 active duty personnel (2022)

the UEDF is lightly armed with mostly South African material; it has received small amounts of secondhand equipment since 2010 (2021)

1.7% of GDP (2021 est.) 1.8% of GDP (2020 est.) 1.9% of GDP (2019 est.) (approximately $140 million) 2.1% of GDP (2018 est.) (approximately $150 million) 2.1% of GDP (2017 est.) (approximately $140 million)

18-30 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (2021)

0-14 years: 33.63% (male 185,640/female 185,808) 15-24 years: 18.71% (male 98,029/female 108,654) 25-54 years: 39.46% (male 202,536/female 233,275) 55-64 years: 4.36% (male 20,529/female 27,672) 65 years and over: 3.83% (male 15,833/female 26,503) (2020 est.)

total: 7.68 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) beer: 2.45 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) wine: 0.06 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) spirits: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) other alcohols: 5.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

23.35 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)

5.8% (2014)

66.1% (2014)

6.8% of GDP (2019)

9.71 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)

Eswatini, a small, predominantly rural, landlocked country surrounded by South Africa and Mozambique, suffers from severe poverty and the world’s highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate. A weak and deteriorating economy, high unemployment, rapid population growth, and an uneven distribution of resources all combine to worsen already persistent poverty and food insecurity, especially in rural areas. Erratic weather (frequent droughts and intermittent heavy rains and flooding), overuse of small plots, the overgrazing of cattle, and outdated agricultural practices reduce crop yields and further degrade the environment, exacerbating Eswatini's poverty and subsistence problems. Eswatini's extremely high HIV/AIDS prevalence rate – more than 28% of adults have the disease – compounds these issues. Agricultural production has declined due to HIV/AIDS, as the illness causes households to lose manpower and to sell livestock and other assets to pay for medicine and funerals. Swazis, mainly men from the country’s rural south, have been migrating to South Africa to work in coal, and later gold, mines since the late 19th century. Although the number of miners abroad has never been high in absolute terms because of Eswatini's small population, the outflow has had important social and economic repercussions. The peak of mining employment in South Africa occurred during the 1980s. Cross-border movement has accelerated since the 1990s, as increasing unemployment has pushed more Swazis to look for work in South Africa (creating a "brain drain" in the health and educational sectors); southern Swazi men have continued to pursue mining, although the industry has downsized. Women now make up an increasing share of migrants and dominate cross-border trading in handicrafts, using the proceeds to purchase goods back in Eswatini. Much of today’s migration, however, is not work-related but focuses on visits to family and friends, tourism, and shopping.

total dependency ratio: 64 youth dependency ratio: 57.4 elderly dependency ratio: 6.5 potential support ratio: 15.3 (2021 est.)

improved: urban: 97.5% of population rural: 74.8% of population total: 80.3% of population unimproved: urban: 2.5% of population rural: 25.2% of population total: 19.7% of population (2020 est.)

5% of GDP (2021 est.)

predominantly Swazi; smaller populations of other African ethnic groups, including the Zulu, as well as people of European ancestry

27.9% (2021 est.)

2.1 beds/1,000 population (2011)

total: 39.63 deaths/1,000 live births male: 43.89 deaths/1,000 live births female: 35.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2022 est.)

English (official, used for government business), siSwati (official)

total population: 59.69 years male: 57.62 years female: 61.81 years (2022 est.)

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 88.4% male: 88.3% female: 88.5% (2018)

degree of risk: intermediate (2020) food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria water contact diseases: schistosomiasis

68,000 MBABANE (capital) (2018)

437 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

total: 23.7 years male: 22.5 years female: 24.7 years (2020 est.)

noun: liSwati (singular), emaSwati (plural); note - former term, Swazi(s), still used among English speakers adjective: Swati; note - former term, Swazi, still used among English speakers

-6.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)

16.5% (2016)

0.14 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

1,121,761 (2022 est.)

because of its mountainous terrain, the population distribution is uneven throughout the country, concentrating primarily in valleys and plains as shown in this population distribution map

0.75% (2022 est.)

Christian 90% (Zionist - a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship - 40%, Roman Catholic 20%, other 30% - includes Anglican, Methodist, Church of Jesus Christ, Jehovah's Witness), Muslim 2%, other 8% (includes Baha'i, Buddhist, Hindu, indigenous, Jewish) (2015 est.)

improved: urban: 92.3% of population rural: 83.9% of population total: 85.9% of population unimproved: urban: 7.7% of population rural: 16.1% of population total: 14.1% of population (2020 est.)

total: 13 years male: 13 years female: 12 years (2013)

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 0.87 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.73 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female total population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2022 est.)

total: 9.2% (2020 est.) male: 16.5% (2020 est.) female: 1.8% (2020 est.)

2.44 children born/woman (2022 est.)

urban population: 24.8% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 2.42% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

total: 47.1% male: 44.2% female: 50% (2016)

in 2006, Swati king advocated resorting to ICJ to claim parts of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal from South Africa

total: 14 (2021)

total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2021)

total: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 7 (2021)

3DC

total: 301 km (2014) narrow gauge: 301 km (2014) 1.067-m gauge

total: 3,769 km (2019)