Urban population (% of total population) in Eswatini
Eswatini: Urban population (% of total population) was 26.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
26.7%
Change on year
up 1.8%
World rank
202nd
of 218 countries
All-time high
26.7%
in 2025
All-time low
4.1%
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
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 202nd of 218 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 (% of total 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% |
Eswatini compared with similar countries
- Eswatini's 26.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 50.9%, 53% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Eswatini's 26.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.9%, 60% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
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
- 199 Burkina Faso 28.9% compare
- 200 East Timor 28.8% compare
- 201 Chad 27.6% compare
- 203 Guyana 26.5% compare
- 204 Tajikistan 26.2% compare
- 205 Afghanistan 25.9% compare
More climate change data for Eswatini
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 10.39 million kg (2050)
- 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)
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 202nd out of 218 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.