Rural population growth (annual %) in Eswatini
Eswatini: Rural population growth (annual %) was 0.4% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Rural population growth in Eswatini, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population growth in Eswatini is 0.4%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.1% on the previous year and up 64.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population growth in Eswatini peaked at 4.6% in 1989 and was at its lowest, -0.1%, in 1995.
That places Eswatini 88th out of 210 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Rural population growth (annual %) in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.8% | — |
| 1962 | 1.8% | -1.9% |
| 1963 | 1.8% | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 1.8% | +3.0% |
| 1965 | 1.9% | +6.7% |
| 1966 | 2.0% | +5.2% |
| 1967 | 1.9% | -8.4% |
| 1968 | 1.7% | -9.9% |
| 1969 | 1.7% | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 1.7% | +1.1% |
| 1971 | 1.7% | +1.6% |
| 1972 | 1.8% | +2.1% |
| 1973 | 1.8% | +2.6% |
| 1974 | 1.9% | +3.5% |
| 1975 | 2.0% | +4.2% |
| 1976 | 2.1% | +7.1% |
| 1977 | 2.2% | +6.0% |
| 1978 | 2.2% | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 2.1% | -3.3% |
| 1980 | 2.1% | -1.1% |
| 1981 | 2.1% | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 2.2% | +3.2% |
| 1983 | 2.3% | +3.9% |
| 1984 | 2.4% | +6.6% |
| 1985 | 3.1% | +26.3% |
| 1986 | 3.7% | +19.3% |
| 1987 | 3.8% | +3.4% |
| 1988 | 4.5% | +19.4% |
| 1989 | 4.6% | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 4.0% | -12.8% |
| 1991 | 4.0% | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 3.8% | -5.2% |
| 1993 | 2.9% | -23.5% |
| 1994 | -0.0% | -101.2% |
| 1995 | -0.1% | +177.7% |
| 1996 | 2.0% | -2124.7% |
| 1997 | 1.7% | -14.7% |
| 1998 | 1.3% | -20.9% |
| 1999 | 1.2% | -10.7% |
| 2000 | 1.2% | -1.5% |
| 2001 | 1.1% | -6.6% |
| 2002 | 1.0% | -10.7% |
| 2003 | 0.9% | -11.8% |
| 2004 | 0.8% | -11.4% |
| 2005 | 0.7% | -12.1% |
| 2006 | 0.6% | -13.9% |
| 2007 | 0.6% | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | +8.0% |
| 2009 | 0.6% | -12.6% |
| 2010 | 0.5% | -17.6% |
| 2011 | 0.4% | -15.8% |
| 2012 | 0.3% | -14.4% |
| 2013 | 0.3% | -9.4% |
| 2014 | 0.3% | -7.2% |
| 2015 | 0.3% | -6.4% |
| 2016 | 0.2% | -7.0% |
| 2017 | 0.4% | +60.9% |
| 2018 | 0.6% | +51.5% |
| 2019 | 0.6% | -6.5% |
| 2020 | 0.7% | +19.7% |
| 2021 | 0.7% | +4.4% |
| 2022 | 0.5% | -26.5% |
| 2023 | 0.4% | -22.4% |
| 2024 | 0.4% | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 0.4% | +7.1% |
Eswatini compared with similar countries
- Eswatini's 0.4% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.9%, 49% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Eswatini's 0.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.2%, 35% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Rural population growth (annual %) in Eswatini changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | +2124.7% | -0.1% | 2.0% |
| 1995 | -177.7% | -0.0% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | -101.2% | 2.9% | -0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.8% | 1.7% | 2.0% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.0% | 1.7% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.1% | 2.1% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.1% | -0.1% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Eswatini
More agriculture & rural data for Eswatini
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.08 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0641 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 263.26 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4281 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7328 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 6.2% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.9% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population growth in Eswatini?
- Rural population growth in Eswatini was 0.4% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population growth recorded in Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 4.6% in 1989.
- What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.1% in 1995.
- How does Eswatini rank for rural population growth?
- Eswatini ranks 88th out of 210 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population growth rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is up 64.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Eswatini data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual rural population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear rural population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.