Urban population in Eswatini
Eswatini: Urban population was 26.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Eswatini, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, urban population in Eswatini stood at 26.7%. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Eswatini peaked at 26.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 4.1%, in 1960.
Eswatini ranks 201st of 217 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 4.1% | — |
| 1961 | 4.5% | +11.2% |
| 1962 | 5.0% | +10.7% |
| 1963 | 5.5% | +10.2% |
| 1964 | 6.0% | +9.7% |
| 1965 | 6.6% | +9.2% |
| 1966 | 7.2% | +8.7% |
| 1967 | 7.8% | +8.8% |
| 1968 | 8.5% | +9.0% |
| 1969 | 9.2% | +9.0% |
| 1970 | 10.1% | +8.7% |
| 1971 | 10.9% | +8.3% |
| 1972 | 11.8% | +7.9% |
| 1973 | 12.6% | +7.4% |
| 1974 | 13.5% | +6.8% |
| 1975 | 14.3% | +6.2% |
| 1976 | 15.1% | +5.6% |
| 1977 | 15.9% | +5.4% |
| 1978 | 16.8% | +5.7% |
| 1979 | 17.8% | +5.7% |
| 1980 | 18.8% | +5.5% |
| 1981 | 19.7% | +5.1% |
| 1982 | 20.6% | +4.5% |
| 1983 | 21.4% | +3.8% |
| 1984 | 22.1% | +3.0% |
| 1985 | 22.5% | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 22.7% | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 22.8% | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 22.9% | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 22.9% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 22.9% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 23.0% | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 23.0% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 23.0% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 23.0% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 23.1% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 23.1% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 23.1% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 23.0% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 23.0% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 22.8% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 22.7% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 22.6% | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 22.4% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 22.3% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 22.2% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 22.2% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 22.1% | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 22.2% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 22.2% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 22.3% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 22.5% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 22.6% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 22.8% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 23.0% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 23.3% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 23.5% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 23.8% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 24.1% | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 24.3% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 24.7% | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 25.0% | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 25.4% | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 25.8% | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 26.2% | +1.7% |
| 2025 | 26.7% | +1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.4% | 4.1% | 9.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 13.9% | 10.1% | 17.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 21.6% | 18.8% | 22.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.0% | 22.9% | 23.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.4% | 22.1% | 22.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.2% | 22.3% | 24.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.6% | 24.7% | 26.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Eswatini
- 198 Burkina Faso 28.9% compare
- 199 Timor-Leste 28.8% compare
- 200 Chad 27.6% compare
- 202 Guyana 26.5% compare
- 203 Tajikistan 26.2% compare
- 204 Afghanistan 25.9% compare
More climate change data for Eswatini
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,459 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 469.92 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 988.9 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1.77 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 35.32 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 77.58 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 66.81 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 10.77 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.2521 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.3846 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Eswatini?
- Urban population in Eswatini was 26.7% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 26.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.1% in 1960.
- How does Eswatini rank for urban population?
- Eswatini ranks 201st out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Eswatini data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.