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People
Introduction
Today the population of Swaziland is estimated at just under one million. About 69 percent of the total population currently live in rural areas. This figure is set to decrease as a result of rural-urban migration that has been occurring when people flee from rural areas as a result of soil erosion and recurrent drought.
Meanwhile, population growth is 0.25 percent per annum, demonstrating a slowing trend which might well be attributable to the HIV/AIDS virus that currently afflicts an astronomical 26 percent of the population. New social policies have been implemented in this country, aimed at lowering the rates of HIV/AIDS infection.
Cultural Demography
Swazis make up over 90 percent of the population. The predominant Swazis are a Bantu ethno-linguistic group, while other African groups include small minorities of Zulus. White Europeans and people of mixed ancestry make up the remainder of the population.
The official languages are English and the indigenous tongue, Siswati. While official business tends to be conducted in English, most people speak Siswati on an everyday level.
Christianity is practiced by about 60 percent of the population while the remaining 40 percent subscrib e to indigenous (mostly animist) beliefs.
Livelihood
In 1994, about 91,873 people were employed in Swaziland and 15,892 Swaziland nationals worked as miners in the Republic of South Africa. In 2000, it was estimated that the remittances of Swazi miners on South African mines supplement domestically earned income by as much as 20 percent. There is a Federation of Trade Unions. Minimum wage levels have been set, but at a low level, particularly for female agricultural workers. Unemployment is causing concern; there have been some cutbacks in manufacturing industries and no significant new initiatives.
Human Development
In terms of health and welfare, the life expectancy rate in Swaziland is 48 years of age, according to recent estimates. Presumably, this low life expectancy rate is also due -- at least partially -- to the high rate of HIV/AIDS. The infant mortality rate is 69.27 deaths per 1,000 live births. The literacy rate is 82 years of age.
About 6.3 percent of GDP in this country is spent on health expenditures. About 7.8 percent of GDP in this country is spent on educational expenditures.
One notable indicator used to measure a country's quality of life is the Human Development Index (HDI), which is compiled annually since 1990 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The HDI is a composite of several indicators, which measure a country's achievements in three main areas of human development: longevity, knowledge and education, as well as economic standard of living. In a ranking of 169 countries, the HDI places Swaziland in the medium human development category, at 121st place. Note: Although the concept of human development is complicated a nd cannot be properly captured by values and indices, the HDI, which is calculated and updated annually, offers a wide-ranging assessment of human development in certain countries, not based solely upon traditional economic and financial indicators.
Note:
As of 2018, Swaziland underwent a name change and was to be known as Kingdom of Eswatini. The people of this country will thus be identified as Emaswati.
Written by Dr. Denise Youngblood Coleman, Editor in Chief at CountryWatch.com; see Bibliography for research sources.
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