Rural population in Eswatini
Eswatini: Rural population was 73.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Eswatini, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Eswatini recorded 73.3% for rural population in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Eswatini peaked at 95.9% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 73.3%, in 2025.
Eswatini ranks 17th of 217 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 95.9% | — |
| 1961 | 95.5% | -0.5% |
| 1962 | 95.0% | -0.5% |
| 1963 | 94.5% | -0.5% |
| 1964 | 94.0% | -0.6% |
| 1965 | 93.4% | -0.6% |
| 1966 | 92.8% | -0.6% |
| 1967 | 92.2% | -0.7% |
| 1968 | 91.5% | -0.8% |
| 1969 | 90.8% | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 89.9% | -0.9% |
| 1971 | 89.1% | -0.9% |
| 1972 | 88.2% | -1.0% |
| 1973 | 87.4% | -1.0% |
| 1974 | 86.5% | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 85.7% | -1.0% |
| 1976 | 84.9% | -0.9% |
| 1977 | 84.1% | -1.0% |
| 1978 | 83.2% | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 82.2% | -1.2% |
| 1980 | 81.2% | -1.2% |
| 1981 | 80.3% | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 79.4% | -1.1% |
| 1983 | 78.6% | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 77.9% | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 77.5% | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 77.3% | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 77.2% | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 77.1% | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 77.1% | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 77.1% | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 77.0% | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 77.0% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 77.0% | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 77.0% | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 76.9% | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 76.9% | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 76.9% | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 77.0% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 77.0% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 77.2% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 77.3% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 77.4% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 77.6% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 77.7% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 77.8% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 77.8% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 77.9% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 77.8% | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 77.8% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 77.7% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 77.5% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 77.4% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 77.2% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 77.0% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 76.7% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 76.5% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 76.2% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 75.9% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 75.7% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 75.3% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 75.0% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 74.6% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 74.2% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 73.8% | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 73.3% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 93.6% | 90.8% | 95.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 86.1% | 82.2% | 89.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 78.4% | 77.1% | 81.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 77.0% | 76.9% | 77.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 77.6% | 77.2% | 77.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 76.8% | 75.7% | 77.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 74.4% | 73.3% | 75.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Eswatini
- 14 Afghanistan 74.1% compare
- 15 Tajikistan 73.8% compare
- 16 Guyana 73.5% compare
- 18 Chad 72.4% compare
- 19 Timor-Leste 71.2% compare
- 20 Burkina Faso 71.1% compare
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 in Eswatini?
- Rural population in Eswatini was 73.3% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 95.9% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was 73.3% in 2025.
- How does Eswatini rank for rural population?
- Eswatini ranks 17th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Eswatini data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
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.