Freedom in Eswatini
Where Eswatini sits on every statistic this site carries, each against the countries the same source covers. Eswatini has a figure for 50 of 60 indicators.
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | 0.113 | 2025 | 145 of 163 |
| Freedom of association | 0.023 | 2025 | 162 of 163 |
| Civil liberties | 0.206 | 2025 | 149 of 163 |
| Freedom from political violence | 0.132 | 2025 | 152 of 163 |
| Equal protection of rights | 0.178 | 2025 | 149 of 163 |
| Academic freedom | 0.179 | 2025 | 135 of 163 |
| Media censorship effort | -1.784 | 2025 | 142 of 163 |
| Harassment of journalists | -0.798 | 2025 | 130 of 163 |
| Media self-censorship | -1.601 | 2025 | 147 of 163 |
| Universal right to vote | 0.000 | 2025 | 165 of 167 |
| Legal rights for women | 46.3 | 2023 | 156 of 164 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | 1.000 | 2023 | 124 of 164 |
| Access to justice for women | 0.000 | 2025 | 143 of 163 |
| Access to justice for men | 0.000 | 2025 | 145 of 163 |
| Civil liberties score | 16.0 | 2025 | 129 of 167 |
| Political rights score | 1.0 | 2025 | 152 of 167 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regulatory quality | 44.8 | 2024 | 118 of 169 |
| GDP per capita | $10.7K | 2025 | 102 of 157 |
| GDP growth | 4.2% | 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 34.2% | 2025 | 163 of 163 |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | 63.4% | 2024 | 107 of 154 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | 2.5 | 2024 | 107 of 134 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 139.8 | 2024 | 27 of 134 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | 0.128 | 2025 | 153 of 163 |
| Liberal democracy | 0.097 | 2025 | 134 of 163 |
| Rule of law | 0.225 | 2025 | 123 of 163 |
| Judicial checks on government | 0.315 | 2025 | 110 of 163 |
| Legislative checks on government | 0.380 | 2025 | 105 of 157 |
| Political corruption | 0.554 | 2025 | 81 of 163 |
| Civil society participation | 0.383 | 2025 | 131 of 163 |
| Women’s political empowerment | 0.391 | 2025 | 150 of 163 |
| Voice and accountability | 33.3 | 2024 | 145 of 170 |
| Control of corruption | 32.0 | 2024 | 119 of 170 |
| Government effectiveness | 36.2 | 2024 | 127 of 169 |
| Political stability | 53.4 | 2024 | 129 of 170 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | 0.695 | 2023 | 105 of 165 |
| Life expectancy | 64.3 | 2024 | 146 of 170 |
| Government spending on education | 5.0% | 2023 | — |
| Health spending | 7.5% | 2023 | — |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | 11.0% | 2023 | 23 of 164 |
| Maternal mortality | 118.0 | 2023 | 111 of 167 |
| Women in parliament | 21.6% | 2025 | 100 of 156 |
| Women in the workforce | 48.5% | 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 2.72 | 2024 | — |
| Urban population | 26.7% | 2025 | — |
| Refugees who left | 12.1 | 2024 | 70 of 168 |
| Population | 1.3M | 2025 | — |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | 0.88 | 2024 | 48 of 165 |
| Renewable energy use | 65.4% | 2021 | 33 of 169 |
| Access to electricity | 89.3% | 2024 | 118 of 169 |
What is missing
10 of the 60 statistics here have no figure for Eswatini in the year they were last ranked. Coverage differs by source: an indicator missing here is one its producer does not publish for Eswatini, not a zero. Who publishes what