Employment by status in Eswatini
Eswatini: Employment by status was 69.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Employment by status in Eswatini, 1991–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment by status in Eswatini is 69.6%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 8.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment by status in Eswatini peaked at 69.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 59.3%, in 1991.
That places Eswatini 87th out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Employment by status in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 59.3% | — |
| 1992 | 59.6% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 59.8% | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 60.0% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 60.3% | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 60.5% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 60.7% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 60.9% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 61.0% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 61.1% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 61.2% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 61.3% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 61.4% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 61.6% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 61.8% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 62.1% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 62.4% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 62.6% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 62.8% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 63.0% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 63.2% | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 63.4% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 63.6% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 63.9% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 64.0% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 64.2% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 65.0% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 65.7% | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 66.6% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 66.9% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 67.9% | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 68.7% | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 69.4% | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 69.6% | +0.2% |
Eswatini compared with similar countries
- Eswatini's 69.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 35.3%, 2.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Eswatini's 69.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 26.5%, 2.6× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 60.2% | 59.3% | 61.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 61.8% | 61.1% | 62.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.3% | 63.0% | 66.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 68.5% | 66.9% | 69.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Eswatini
More work & labour data for Eswatini
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.6638 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.6722 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.6555 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.286 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.13 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 703.04 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,378 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 685.51 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 655.37 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 1,341 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment by status in Eswatini?
- Employment by status in Eswatini was 69.6% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment by status recorded in Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 69.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest employment by status recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was 59.3% in 1991.
- How does Eswatini rank for employment by status?
- Eswatini ranks 87th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is employment by status rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Eswatini data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment by status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of people in employment working as employees, as a percentage of total employment.