Eswatini — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Eswatini, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Eswatini was 34.20% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 36.47% in 2022. The lowest was 20.52% in 1991 (about 1.7× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 1.51% per year.
Eswatini ranks 1 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 1%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 5.45%, so Eswatini sits above it. It peaked in 2022 and has fallen 6% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 46%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 1 of 47 economies; South Africa (32.39%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 17% in 2020. That is 13% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
Doubling roughly every 46 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 8th of 187 in 1991 → 6th of 187 in 2000 → 3rd of 187 in 2010 → 1st of 187 in 2020 → 1st of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 34.2% | -0.4 pp |
| 2024 | 34.64% | +0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 34.61% | -1.9 pp |
| 2022 | 36.47% | +2.3 pp |
| 2021 | 34.15% | +1.2 pp |
| 2020 | 32.98% | +4.8 pp |
| 2019 | 28.22% | +1.8 pp |
| 2018 | 26.47% | +1.9 pp |
| 2017 | 24.54% | +1.8 pp |
| 2016 | 22.72% | -0.7 pp |
| 2015 | 23.43% | -0.5 pp |
| 2014 | 23.93% | -0.6 pp |
| 2013 | 24.56% | -0.7 pp |
| 2012 | 25.23% | -0.9 pp |
| 2011 | 26.11% | -0.8 pp |
| 2010 | 26.86% | -0.6 pp |
| 2009 | 27.49% | -0.4 pp |
| 2008 | 27.89% | -0.3 pp |
| 2007 | 28.24% | +0.5 pp |
| 2006 | 27.69% | +0.5 pp |
| 2005 | 27.22% | +0.5 pp |
| 2004 | 26.72% | +0.5 pp |
| 2003 | 26.26% | +0.5 pp |
| 2002 | 25.77% | +0.5 pp |
| 2001 | 25.24% | +0.7 pp |
| 2000 | 24.55% | +0.7 pp |
| 1999 | 23.87% | +0.7 pp |
| 1998 | 23.21% | +0.7 pp |
| 1997 | 22.5% | +0.4 pp |
| 1996 | 22.07% | +0.4 pp |
| 1995 | 21.65% | -0.1 pp |
| 1994 | 21.73% | -0.0 pp |
| 1993 | 21.76% | +0.8 pp |
| 1992 | 20.95% | +0.4 pp |
| 1991 | 20.52% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Eswatini’s Unemployment in 1992?
20.95% (1992). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of total labor force, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Eswatini’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was growing overall: +66.7% in total — about 1.5% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 34.2%; 2024: 34.64%; 2023: 34.61%; 2022: 36.47%; 2021: 34.15%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.