Share of the population with at least some formal education in Eswatini
Eswatini: Share of the population with at least some formal education was 79.9% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Eswatini, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of the population with at least some formal education in Eswatini is 79.9%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
The figure is up 13.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal education in Eswatini peaked at 79.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1870.
Eswatini ranks 91st of 111 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 0.0% | — |
| 1875 | 0.0% | — |
| 1880 | 0.0% | — |
| 1885 | 0.0% | — |
| 1890 | 0.0% | — |
| 1895 | 0.0% | — |
| 1900 | 0.0% | — |
| 1905 | 0.0% | — |
| 1910 | 0.9% | — |
| 1915 | 1.7% | +88.9% |
| 1920 | 2.5% | +47.1% |
| 1925 | 6.0% | +140.0% |
| 1930 | 8.4% | +40.0% |
| 1935 | 10.8% | +28.6% |
| 1940 | 13.7% | +26.9% |
| 1945 | 16.9% | +23.4% |
| 1950 | 22.8% | +34.9% |
| 1955 | 27.4% | +20.2% |
| 1960 | 32.1% | +17.2% |
| 1965 | 38.6% | +20.2% |
| 1970 | 49.5% | +28.2% |
| 1975 | 60.2% | +21.6% |
| 1980 | 64.9% | +7.8% |
| 1985 | 69.7% | +7.4% |
| 1990 | 69.6% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 67.0% | -3.7% |
| 2000 | 62.7% | -6.4% |
| 2005 | 64.2% | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 70.4% | +9.7% |
| 2015 | 73.8% | +4.8% |
| 2020 | 79.9% | +8.3% |
Eswatini compared with similar countries
- Eswatini's 79.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 85.2%, 94% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Eswatini's 79.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 78.0%, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of the population with at least some formal education in Eswatini changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | +140.0% | 2.5% | 6.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1910s | 1.3% | 0.9% | 1.7% | 2 |
| 1920s | 4.2% | 2.5% | 6.0% | 2 |
| 1930s | 9.6% | 8.4% | 10.8% | 2 |
| 1940s | 15.3% | 13.7% | 16.9% | 2 |
| 1950s | 25.1% | 22.8% | 27.4% | 2 |
| 1960s | 35.4% | 32.1% | 38.6% | 2 |
| 1970s | 54.9% | 49.5% | 60.2% | 2 |
| 1980s | 67.3% | 64.9% | 69.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 68.3% | 67.0% | 69.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 63.5% | 62.7% | 64.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 72.1% | 70.4% | 73.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 79.9% | 79.9% | 79.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Eswatini
More education data for Eswatini
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7,225 (2022)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 15,165 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 12,768 (2015)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 11,269 (2015)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 108,288 (2016)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 222,351 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.236 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1807 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with at least some formal education in Eswatini?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in Eswatini was 79.9% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 79.9% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1870.
- How does Eswatini rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Eswatini ranks 91st out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal education rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Eswatini data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with at least some formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Based on the population aged 15 years and older.