Eswatini in Numbers: A Small Country With a Young Population

Q: What is the capital of Eswatini?

Eswatini has two capitals: Lobamba and Mbabane 2. Mbabane is the executive capital and Lobamba is the legislative capital 1. Executive relates to running government services, while legislative relates to making laws.

Q: How many people live in Eswatini?

The population in 2025 was 1,256,174 people 3. The country is small in area, at 17,364 km² 2. About 4.3% of people were aged 65 and over in 2025 3.

A friendly look at Eswatini’s size, people, languages and numbers, as of 2026.

Travel & PlacesOctober 2, 20262 min readHow Sureno writes this

At a glance

Capital: Lobamba, Mbabane
Official language: English, Swazi
Currency: lilangeni
Continent: Africa
Area: 17,364 km²
Population (2025): 1,256,174
Aged 65 and over (2025): 4.3%
Babies born (2024): 23.6 per 1,000 people a year
Deaths (2024): 7.7 per 1,000 people a year
Children per woman (2024): 2.7 children per woman

The short version

Eswatini is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered by South Africa and Mozambique ¹.
Its area is 17,364 km² ², with capitals at Mbabane and Lobamba ².
The population in 2025 was 1,256,174 people ³, with life expectancy of 64.3 years in 2024 ³.
Official languages are English and Swazi ², and the currency is the lilangeni ².

Where is Eswatini and how big is it?

Eswatini is a landlocked country in Southern Africa ¹. Landlocked means it has no coast. It is bordered by South Africa on most sides, with Mozambique to the east ¹.

It is a small country. Its area is 17,364 km² ². From north to south it is no more than 200 km, and from east to west no more than 130 km ¹. It is the second smallest country in continental Africa ¹.

The land is varied for its size. It ranges from a cool and mountainous highveld to a hot and dry lowveld ¹. Highveld means higher land that is often cooler. Lowveld means lower land that is often warmer and drier.

Eswatini has two capitals: Lobamba and Mbabane ². Mbabane serves as the executive capital, and Lobamba as the legislative capital ¹.

Who lives in Eswatini?

In 2025, Eswatini had a population of 1,256,174 people ³. The population is composed primarily of ethnic Swazis ¹.

It is a young population. In 2025, only 4.3% of people were aged 65 and over ³. In 2024, about 23.6 babies were born per 1,000 people in a year ³. Deaths were 7.7 per 1,000 people in a year ³.

On average, women had 2.7 children each in 2024 ³. Children per woman is a simple way to show family size across a country.

Life expectancy in 2024 was 64.3 years ³. Life expectancy means the average number of years a newborn might live if current patterns stayed the same.

What languages and money do people use?

Eswatini has two official languages: English and Swazi ². The prevalent language is Swazi, called siSwati in its own form ¹.

For visitors, this means English is widely used for official matters, while Swazi is central to daily life and identity. Learning a few polite words in siSwati is a kind way to show respect.

The currency is the lilangeni ². Currency is the money used in a country.

The research sources given for this short portrait do not include details about food or famous places. In general, food and places to visit can change with season and local custom. For travel planning, it is best to check an official tourism source closer to the trip.

What we don't know yet

Traditional foods and daily meals were not described in the sources given.
Famous natural or historic places were not listed in the sources given.
Population and health numbers change each year, so 2025 and 2024 figures are as of those years.

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Questions people ask

What is the capital of Eswatini?

Eswatini has two capitals: Lobamba and Mbabane ². Mbabane is the executive capital and Lobamba is the legislative capital ¹. Executive relates to running government services, while legislative relates to making laws.

How many people live in Eswatini?

The population in 2025 was 1,256,174 people ³. The country is small in area, at 17,364 km² ². About 4.3% of people were aged 65 and over in 2025 ³.

Sources

Eswatini — Wikipedia
Wikidata: Eswatini — Wikidata
World Bank Open Data: Eswatini — World Bank (CC BY 4.0)

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