World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Eswatini fits inside the median country 6.4 times.
Eswatini: 17,360 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Eswatini: 0 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The median country’s highest peak towers 473 m above Eswatini’s.
Eswatini: 1,862 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The median country has 5.9 times as many people as Eswatini.
Eswatini: 1.26 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 35% more densely populated than Eswatini.
Eswatini: 73 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 4.1 cm taller than in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 169.4 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 1.6 cm taller than in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 158.9 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 9.1 years older than in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 22 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Eswatini have 0.8 more children on average than in the median country.
Eswatini: 2.72 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 4.3% in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 4.3% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Eswatini and the median country are practically level.
Eswatini: 0 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Eswatini has 2 official languages, the median country 1.
Eswatini: 2 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The median country’s economy is 8.8 times the size of Eswatini’s.
Eswatini: $5.16 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 68% more per person than Eswatini.
Eswatini: Int$12,529 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Eswatini than in the median country (Gini 20.2 points higher).
Eswatini: 54.6 (2016) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 34% in Eswatini, versus 5.1% in the median country.
Eswatini: 34.2% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The median country and Eswatini are practically level.
Eswatini: 1.4% (2024) · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Eswatini’s.
Eswatini: 33% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 59% more on health per person than Eswatini.
Eswatini: $296 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 10 years longer than in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 64.3 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Eswatini is 3.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in the median country.
Eswatini: 42.2 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 3 times as many doctors per person as Eswatini.
Eswatini: 0.6 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
27% of adults in Eswatini are obese, versus 24% in the median country.
Eswatini: 27.1% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 12% in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 11.5% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the median country rate their lives 1.92 points higher than in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 3.91 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Eswatini drink 40% more alcohol than in the median country.
Eswatini: 6.1 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The median country has 2.5 times as much meat per person as Eswatini.
Eswatini: 22.4 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 364 kcal more food per person per day than Eswatini.
Eswatini: 2,574 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Eswatini: no data · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 1.2 years longer than in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 8.7 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 7% more tourists per resident than Eswatini (2019).
Eswatini: 0.32 (2022) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 63% in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 63% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 89% in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 89.3% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in the median country live in cities, versus 27% in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 27% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Eswatini has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115.
Eswatini: 140 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The median country’s railway network is 7.1 times as long as Eswatini’s.
Eswatini: 300 km (2011) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the median country fly 8.7 times as many passengers per resident as those from Eswatini.
Eswatini: 0.03 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 31% of the median country, but only 29% of Eswatini.
Eswatini: 29.1% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 3.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Eswatini.
Eswatini: 0.8 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
97% of Eswatini’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country.
Eswatini: 96.7% (2024) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Eswatini carries 20% more fine dust than in the median country.
Eswatini: 20 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 5.5 times as likely to be murdered in Eswatini as in the median country.
Eswatini: 12.5 per 100k (2021) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Eswatini are 2 times as deadly as in the median country.
Eswatini: 24.7 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 2.9 °C warmer than Eswatini.
Eswatini: 20.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The median country gets 16% more rain than Eswatini.
Eswatini: 872 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Eswatini bigger than the median country?
The median country is larger. Eswatini fits inside the median country 6.4 times.
Which has more people, Eswatini or the median country?
The median country has 5.9 times as many people as Eswatini (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Eswatini or the median country?
People in the median country live 10 years longer than in Eswatini. Life expectancy at birth is 64.3 years in Eswatini and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Eswatini or the median country?
Men in the median country are 4.1 cm taller than in Eswatini (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
