Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Eswatini
Eswatini: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 96.2% in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Eswatini, 1820–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Eswatini stood at 96.2%. That is the highest value across all 69 years on record.
The figure is up 5.1% on the previous year and up 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Eswatini peaked at 96.2% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
Eswatini ranks 105th of 209 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0% | — |
| 1825 | 0.0% | — |
| 1830 | 0.0% | — |
| 1835 | 0.0% | — |
| 1840 | 0.0% | — |
| 1845 | 0.0% | — |
| 1850 | 0.0% | — |
| 1855 | 0.0% | — |
| 1860 | 0.0% | — |
| 1865 | 0.0% | — |
| 1870 | 0.0% | — |
| 1875 | 0.0% | — |
| 1880 | 0.0% | — |
| 1885 | 0.0% | — |
| 1890 | 0.0% | — |
| 1895 | 0.0% | — |
| 1900 | 0.0% | — |
| 1905 | 0.2% | — |
| 1910 | 0.7% | +187.5% |
| 1915 | 1.5% | +115.9% |
| 1920 | 2.8% | +89.9% |
| 1925 | 5.0% | +76.3% |
| 1930 | 8.4% | +67.5% |
| 1935 | 13.3% | +59.6% |
| 1940 | 20.3% | +52.2% |
| 1945 | 29.3% | +44.5% |
| 1950 | 36.5% | +24.4% |
| 1955 | 48.9% | +33.9% |
| 1960 | 42.7% | -12.7% |
| 1965 | 54.4% | +27.6% |
| 1970 | 56.3% | +3.4% |
| 1971 | 56.5% | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 59.1% | +4.6% |
| 1973 | 62.9% | +6.4% |
| 1974 | 64.7% | +2.8% |
| 1975 | 67.7% | +4.7% |
| 1976 | 69.2% | +2.3% |
| 1977 | 70.9% | +2.5% |
| 1978 | 71.5% | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 72.4% | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 74.2% | +2.5% |
| 1981 | 76.5% | +3.1% |
| 1982 | 75.5% | -1.3% |
| 1983 | 73.7% | -2.4% |
| 1984 | 73.5% | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 74.6% | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 73.0% | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 73.4% | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 73.0% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 72.3% | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 73.9% | +2.2% |
| 1991 | 73.7% | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 74.2% | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 72.7% | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 73.3% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 74.9% | +2.2% |
| 1996 | 72.8% | -2.8% |
| 2009 | 80.1% | +10.0% |
| 2010 | 86.6% | +8.2% |
| 2011 | 91.7% | +5.9% |
| 2012 | 87.6% | -4.5% |
| 2013 | 85.3% | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 87.7% | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 88.5% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 89.5% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 88.8% | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 90.4% | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 91.5% | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 96.2% | +5.1% |
Eswatini compared with similar countries
- Eswatini's 96.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 93.7%, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Eswatini's 96.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 84.5%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of children in primary school age who are in school 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | +187.5% | 0.2% | 0.7% |
| 1915 | +115.9% | 0.7% | 1.5% |
| 1920 | +89.9% | 1.5% | 2.8% |
| 1925 | +76.3% | 2.8% | 5.0% |
| 1930 | +67.5% | 5.0% | 8.4% |
| 1935 | +59.6% | 8.4% | 13.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 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 | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1910s | 1.1% | 0.7% | 1.5% | 2 |
| 1920s | 3.9% | 2.8% | 5.0% | 2 |
| 1930s | 10.8% | 8.4% | 13.3% | 2 |
| 1940s | 24.8% | 20.3% | 29.3% | 2 |
| 1950s | 42.7% | 36.5% | 48.9% | 2 |
| 1960s | 48.6% | 42.7% | 54.4% | 2 |
| 1970s | 65.1% | 56.3% | 72.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 74.0% | 72.3% | 76.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 73.7% | 72.7% | 74.9% | 7 |
| 2000s | 80.1% | 80.1% | 80.1% | 1 |
| 2010s | 88.8% | 85.3% | 91.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 96.2% | 96.2% | 96.2% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Eswatini
- 102 Cambodia 96.3% compare
- 103 Cameroon 96.2% compare
- 104 North Macedonia 96.2% compare
- 106 Dominica 96.0% compare
- 107 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 96.0% compare
- 108 United States 96.0% compare
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 children in primary school age who are in school in Eswatini?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Eswatini was 96.2% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 96.2% in 2022.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Eswatini rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Eswatini ranks 105th out of 209 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Eswatini data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 69 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.