Democracy Index in Eswatini
Eswatini: Democracy Index was -7 in 2018. ▲ Rising
Democracy Index in Eswatini, 1968–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Eswatini recorded -7 for democracy index in 2018.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy index in Eswatini peaked at -6 in 1992 and was at its lowest, -10, in 1973.
That places Eswatini 150th out of 168 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Democracy Index in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | -8 | — |
| 1969 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1971 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -8 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -10 | +25.0% |
| 1974 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -10 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -9 | -10.0% |
| 1980 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -7 | -22.2% |
| 1983 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -9 | +28.6% |
| 1987 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1991 | -9 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | -6 | -33.3% |
| 1993 | -7 | +16.7% |
| 1994 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2004 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2005 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2006 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2007 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2009 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2011 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2012 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2013 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2014 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2015 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 2018 | -7 | -0.0% |
Eswatini compared with similar countries
- Eswatini's -7 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5. (43 countries reporting)
- Eswatini's -7 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.5. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -8 | -8 | -8 | 2 |
| 1970s | -9.3 | -10 | -8 | 10 |
| 1980s | -8.2 | -9 | -7 | 10 |
| 1990s | -7.3 | -9 | -6 | 10 |
| 2000s | -7 | -7 | -7 | 10 |
| 2010s | -7 | -7 | -7 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Eswatini
More social development data for Eswatini
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1,414 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 220 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 220 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0011 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is democracy index in Eswatini?
- Democracy index in Eswatini was -7 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy index recorded in Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was -6 in 1992.
- What is the lowest democracy index recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was -10 in 1973.
- How does Eswatini rank for democracy index?
- Eswatini ranks 150th out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is democracy index rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Eswatini data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
It combines information on the extent to which open, multi-party, and competitive elections choose a chief executive who faces comprehensive institutional constraints, and political participation is competitive. It ranges from -10 to 10 (fully democratic).