Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Eswatini
Eswatini: Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates was 116.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Eswatini, 1970–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Eswatini stood at 116.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Eswatini peaked at 124.6% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 78.6%, in 1970.
That places Eswatini 20th out of 217 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 78.6% | — |
| 1971 | 79.4% | +1.1% |
| 1972 | 83.0% | +4.5% |
| 1973 | 86.9% | +4.7% |
| 1974 | 89.6% | +3.0% |
| 1975 | 90.8% | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 91.4% | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 92.4% | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 92.6% | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 93.4% | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 95.1% | +1.8% |
| 1981 | 97.6% | +2.6% |
| 1982 | 97.7% | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 97.1% | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 96.6% | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 96.1% | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 94.0% | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 93.7% | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 93.1% | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 92.0% | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 93.5% | +1.7% |
| 1991 | 93.2% | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 93.5% | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 93.4% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 94.0% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 96.5% | +2.7% |
| 1996 | 94.9% | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 94.9% | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 95.4% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 97.7% | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 98.6% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 98.3% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 98.1% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 99.4% | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 105.4% | +6.1% |
| 2005 | 108.1% | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 112.7% | +4.3% |
| 2007 | 114.5% | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 117.1% | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 123.2% | +5.2% |
| 2011 | 122.7% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 122.6% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 122.9% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 124.0% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 124.6% | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 123.8% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 123.8% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 123.9% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 123.6% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 117.2% | -5.2% |
| 2023 | 116.5% | -0.6% |
Eswatini compared with similar countries
- Eswatini's 116.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 102.7%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Eswatini's 116.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 100.4%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 87.8% | 78.6% | 93.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 95.3% | 92.0% | 97.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 94.7% | 93.2% | 97.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 105.8% | 98.1% | 117.1% | 9 |
| 2010s | 123.5% | 122.6% | 124.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 116.9% | 116.5% | 117.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Eswatini
- 17 Democratic Republic of Congo 117.6% compare
- 18 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 116.9% compare
- 19 Morocco 116.6% compare
- 21 New Caledonia 116.0% compare
- 22 Zambia 115.6% compare
- 23 French Guiana 115.2% 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 primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Eswatini?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Eswatini was 116.5% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 124.6% in 2015.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was 78.6% in 1970.
- How does Eswatini rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Eswatini ranks 20th out of 217 countries with data for 2023.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Eswatini data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of children of any age group who are enrolled in primary education, expressed as a percentage of the total population of the official primary school age.