Swaziland: Fact file
Updated October 2009
| Name | Kingdom of Swaziland |
| Area | 17 363 sq km |
| Capital | Mbabane |
| Major cities | Manzini (Frame 2008, 1166) |
| Boundaries | South Africa, Mozambique (Landlocked) |
| Population | 1.2 million, 2007 (UNDP 2009) |
| Natural pop growth | 1.4%, 2005-2010 (UNDP 2009) |
| Urbanisation | 25.5%, 1990 (UNDP 2009) |
| Life expectancy | Female 44.8 yrs, male 45.7 yrs, 2007 (UNDP 2009) |
| HIV/AIDS prevalence | 26%, adult, 2007 est (Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland 2008, 3) |
| Adult literacy rate | Female 78.3%, male 80.9%, 2005 (UNDP 2009) |
| Health expenditure | 9.4% of government expenditure; 2006 (UNDP 2009) |
| Legal system | Roman-Dutch law, traditional law (Dube & Magagula 2007) |
| Independence | 6 September 1968 |
| GDP | US$2.936 billion, 2007 est (IMF 2008) |
| GDP per capita | US$2 523, 2007 est (IMF 2008) |
| GDP growth rate | 2.5%, 2008 est (IMF 2009) |
| Main exports | Chemicals, clothing, sugar, wood pulp and wood products (Frame 2008, 1168) |
| Currency | 100 cents = 1 Lilangeni |
| Unemployment | 40%, 2007 (Frame 2008, 1165) |
| Inflation rate | 13.1%, 2008 est (IMF 2009) |
| External debt ratio | 12.6% of GDP, 2008 (IMF 2009) |
| Roads | 3 594 km, 28.2% tarred (Frame 2008, 1163) |
| Rail | 300 km (SADC 2007, 238) |
| Airports | 1 international (Manzini) (Avigation Networks Undated) |
| Ethnic groups | Swazis (97%), other Africans (2%), others (1%) (Frame 2008, 1165) |
| Languages | Official languages Siswati, English. Other small groups include Zulu and Tsonga (Ethnologue.com undated) |
| Religion | Christian 86.9%, African Traditional 10.7% and Nonreligious 1.2% (Religious Freedom 2001) |
References
AVIGATION NETWORKS UNDATED "Airports in Swaziland", [www] http://worldaerodata.com/countries/Swaziland.php [opens new window] (accessed 24 Apr 2007).
DUBE, B & MAGAGULA, A "The Law and Legal Research in Swaziland" IN Globalex, [www] http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Swaziland.htm [opens new window] (accessed 24 Apr 2008).
ETHNOLOGUE.COM UNDATED "Languages of Swaziland" [www] http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=Swaziland [opens new window] (accessed 25 Apr 2008).
FRAME, I 2008 (ed) Africa South of the Sahara 2008, Routledge.
GOVERNMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF SWAZILAND 2008 "Monitoring the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS): Swaziland Country Report", [www] http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2008/swaziland_2008_country_progress_report_en.pdf [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 19 May 2009).
IMF 2008 World Economic Outlook Database, April 2008, [www] http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2008/01/weodata/index.aspx [opens new window] (accessed 21 Apr 2008).
IMF 2009 Regional Economic Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa, 66, 70, 88, [www] http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/reo/2009/afr/eng/sreo0409.pdf, [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 18 May 2009).
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 2001 "Nation profile: Swaziland", [www] http://religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu/nationprofiles/Swaziland/rbodies.html [opens new window] (accessed 25 Apr 2008).
SADC 2007 "Swaziland" IN Country Profiles, [www] http://www.sadcreview.com/pdfs07/swaziland2007_08.pdf [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 24 Apr 2008).
UNDP 2009 "Swaziland HDI Rank - 142", IN Human Development Report 2009, [www] http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_SWZ.html [opens new window] (accessed 15 October 2009).
