About eSwatini
More than half of children under 17 are orphaned in eSwatini.
In April 2018, The Kingdom of Swaziland was renamed The Kingdom of eSwatini, marking the 50th anniversary of Swazi independence. eSwatini is one of the last remaining absolute monarchies, ruled since 1986 by King Mswati III.
eSwatini is a land-locked country in Southern Africa, with its largest neighbour being South Africa. The native language spoken is siSwati (or Swazi) and much of the country also speak English. The current population of eSwatini is approximately 1.3 million people.
Poverty in eSwatini
58.9% of the rural population in eSwatini live below the poverty line - that is less than 1.90USD per day.
eSwatini has a small economy and is classified as a lower-middle-income country with the GDP per capita of $4,157.97. Many of its citizens are employed in the agricultural and manufacturing industries. The country’s main export is sugar and its main trade partner is South Africa.
Many of the citizens of eSwatini are very poor, with 58.9% of the rural population living below the national poverty line, with 20% considered extremely poor. eSwatini was listed 138th out of 189 on the Human Development Index in 2019.
Health and wellbeing of eSwatini Citizens
27.2% of the adult population in eSwatini are HIV Positive.
eSwatini has the 12th lowest life expectancy in the world - 58 years for males and 60 years for females. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) have been the main health concerns in the country, with 27.2% of the adult population being HIV positive. This is the highest prevalence of HIV among adults aged 15-49 years in the world (2016). Approximately 210,000 people are estimated to be currently living with HIV in eSwatini.
Most of the population is very young, with a median age of 20.5 years and over a third of the population being younger than 14 years of age. Over a quarter of children under 5 are affected by chronic malnutrition and more than half of children under 17 are orphaned.