Country Summary: Eswatini (Kingdom of Eswatini)
Country Name: Eswatini (Kingdom of Eswatini)
Capital: Mbabane is the administrative capital and Lobamba is the royal and legislative capital
Government Type: absolute monarchy
Background: A Swazi kingdom was founded in the mid-18th century and ruled by a series of kings including MSWATI II, a 19th century ruler whose appellation was adopted to become the name of the country and its predominant ethnic group. The kingdom’s modern borders were defined by European countries during the late-19th century and Swaziland (as it became known) was administered as a UK high commission territory from 1903 until its independence in 1968. A new constitution came into effect in 2005, which included provisions for a more independent parliament and judiciary, but the legal status of political parties remains unclear, and the kingdom is still considered an absolute monarchy. King MSWATI III renamed the country from Swaziland to Eswatini in 2018 to reflect the name most commonly used by its citizens. In 2021, MSWATI III used security forces to suppress prodemocracy protests. A national dialogue and reconciliation process agreed to in the wake of violence has not materialized. In November 2023, King MSWATI III appointed a new Prime Minister following peaceful national elections. Despite its classification as a lower-middle income country, Eswatini suffers from severe poverty, corruption, and high unemployment. Eswatini has the world's highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate, although recent years have shown marked declines in new infections. Eswatini is the only country in Africa that recognizes Taiwan.
Continent: Africa
Population: 1,130,043 (2023 est.)
Ethnic Groups: predominantly Swazi; smaller populations of other African ethnic groups, including the Zulu, as well as people of European ancestry
Languages: English (official, used for government business), siSwati (official)
Religions: Christian 90% (Zionist - a blend of Christianity and traditional African religions - 40%, Roman Catholic 20%, other Christian 30% - includes Anglican, Methodist, Church of Jesus Christ, Jehovah's Witness), Muslim 2%, other 8% (includes Baha'i, Buddhist, Hindu, indigenous, Jewish) (2015 est.)
Economic Overview: landlocked southern African economy; South African trade dependent and currency pegging; CMA and SACU member state; COVID-19 economic slowdown; growing utilities inflation; persistent poverty and unemployment
Currency: Swazi Lilangeni (SZL)
Reserves of Foreign Exchange & Gold: $452.352 million (2022 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
Real GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $10.885 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2017 dollars
Real GDP Growth Rate: 0.48% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
Real GDP per Capita: $9,100 (2022 est.) note: data in 2017 dollars
Exports:
$2.095 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Comparison Ranking: 160
Export Commodities: carbonated drink mixtures, sugar, gold, industrial additives, clothing, lumber (2021)
Export Partners: South Africa 94% (2017)
Imports:
$2.288 billion (2022 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Comparison Ranking: 170
Import Commodities: motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals
Import Partners: South Africa 81.6%, China 5.2% (2017)
Natural Resources: asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc
Agricultural Products: sugar cane, maize, roots/tubers nes, grapefruit, oranges, milk, beef, potatoes, vegetables, bananas
Industries: soft drink concentrates, coal, forestry, sugar processing, textiles, and apparel
Industrial Production Growth Rate:
-0.33% (2022 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
Comparison Ranking: 167
Labor Force: 399,000 (2022 est.)
Unemployment Rate: 22.64% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment
Natural Hazards: drought
Geography:
Total: 17,364 sq km
Land: 17,204 sq km
Water: 160 sq km
(Country Summary, The World Factbook, CIA.gov)
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