Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Eswatini fits inside South Africa 70 times.
Eswatini: 17,360 km² (2023) · South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Eswatini: 0 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Africa’s highest peak towers 1,588 m above Eswatini’s.
Eswatini: 1,862 m (2026 edition) · South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
South Africa has 52 times as many people as Eswatini.
Eswatini: 1.26 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Eswatini is 37% more densely populated than South Africa.
Eswatini: 73 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
South Africa and Eswatini are practically level.
Eswatini: 169.4 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Eswatini and South Africa are practically level.
Eswatini: 158.9 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Africa is 6.2 years older than in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 22 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Eswatini have 0.5 more children on average than in South Africa.
Eswatini: 2.72 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
6.9% of people in South Africa are 65 or older, versus 4.3% in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 4.3% (2025) · South Africa: 6.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Africa has produced 1.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Eswatini 0.0.
Eswatini: 0 (2025) · South Africa: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Eswatini 2.
Eswatini: 2 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Africa’s economy is 83 times the size of Eswatini’s.
Eswatini: $5.16 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Africa produces 27% more per person than Eswatini.
Eswatini: Int$12,529 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Eswatini than in South Africa (Gini 0.5 points higher).
Eswatini: 54.6 (2016) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 34% in Eswatini, versus 32% in South Africa.
Eswatini: 34.2% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Eswatini spends 1.4% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%.
Eswatini: 1.4% (2024) · South Africa: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Africa’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Eswatini’s.
Eswatini: 33% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Africa spends 81% more on health per person than Eswatini.
Eswatini: $296 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in South Africa live 2 years longer than in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 64.3 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Eswatini is 74% more likely to die before turning one than in South Africa.
Eswatini: 42.2 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Africa has 43% more doctors per person than Eswatini.
Eswatini: 0.6 per 1,000 (2023) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 27% in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 27.1% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in South Africa smoke, versus 12% in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 11.5% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in South Africa rate their lives 1.10 points higher than in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 3.91 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 42% more alcohol than in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 6.1 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Africa has 2.6 times as much meat per person as Eswatini.
Eswatini: 22.4 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Africa has 120 kcal more food per person per day than Eswatini.
Eswatini: 2,574 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Eswatini: no data · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 2.9 years longer than in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 8.7 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Eswatini welcomed 2.3 times as many tourists per resident as South Africa (2019).
Eswatini: 0.32 (2022) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
78% of people in South Africa are online, versus 63% in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 63% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
90% of people in South Africa have electricity, versus 89% in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 89.3% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in South Africa live in cities, versus 27% in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 27% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Eswatini 140.
Eswatini: 140 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 70 times as long as Eswatini’s.
Eswatini: 300 km (2011) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Africa fly 8.7 times as many passengers per resident as those from Eswatini.
Eswatini: 0.03 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 29% of Eswatini, but only 14% of South Africa.
Eswatini: 29.1% (2023) · South Africa: 14% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 8.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 0.8 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
97% of Eswatini’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
Eswatini: 96.7% (2024) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in South Africa carries 22% more fine dust than in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 20 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.5 times as likely to be murdered in South Africa as in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 12.5 per 100k (2021) · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Eswatini and South Africa are nearly identical here.
Eswatini: 24.7 per 100k (2021) · South Africa: 24.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Eswatini is on average 1.6 °C warmer than South Africa.
Eswatini: 20.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Eswatini gets 70% more rain than South Africa.
Eswatini: 872 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Eswatini bigger than South Africa?
South Africa is larger. Eswatini fits inside South Africa 70 times.
Which has more people, Eswatini or South Africa?
South Africa has 52 times as many people as Eswatini (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Eswatini or South Africa?
People in South Africa live 2 years longer than in Eswatini. Life expectancy at birth is 64.3 years in Eswatini and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Eswatini or South Africa?
South Africa and Eswatini are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
