Eswatini in 2023: A Data Overview

The document analyzes Eswatini's current state, highlighting low governance scores in voice and accountability, the historical impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on life expectancy, a high economic dependency on South Africa, and a growing public desire for democratic reform among its predominantly young population.

• Eswatini generally scores lower than global and continental averages on Worldwide Governance Indicators, with a particularly significant deficit in 'Voice & Accountability', which reflects limited political freedoms and citizen participation in government selection.
• The HIV/AIDS epidemic severely impacted Eswatini's health metrics, causing life expectancy to drop from 63 years in 1990 to a low of 42 years in 2005, while child mortality rates increased during the 2000s.
• Eswatini's economy is characterized by a high degree of reliance on South Africa, with the latter accounting for nearly 70% of both total exports and total imports.
• Public sentiment in Eswatini shows a dramatic increase in pessimism between 2018 and 2023, with the proportion of citizens believing the country is headed in the wrong direction essentially doubling.
• There is a growing gap between the preference for democracy and the perception of Eswatini's actual governance; over half of 2023 survey respondents prefer democracy, a sentiment particularly strong among the youth, who make up nearly 60% of the population under age 25.

APA

Desai, P. (2023). Eswatini in 2023: A Data Overview. Good Governance Africa. https://gga.org/eswatini-in-2023-a-data-overview/

Chicago

Desai, Pranish. Eswatini in 2023: A Data Overview. Good Governance Africa, 2023. https://gga.org/eswatini-in-2023-a-data-overview/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Desai |first1=Pranish |title=Eswatini in 2023: A Data Overview |publisher=Good Governance Africa |date=22 September 2023 |url=https://gga.org/eswatini-in-2023-a-data-overview/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{desai2023eswatini, author = {Desai, Pranish}, title = {{Eswatini in 2023: A Data Overview}}, institution = {Good Governance Africa}, year = {2023}, month = sep, url = {https://gga.org/eswatini-in-2023-a-data-overview/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }