Freedom Score in Eswatini
Eswatini: Freedom Score was 17 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Freedom Score in Eswatini, 2002–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for freedom score in Eswatini is 17, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom score in Eswatini peaked at 33 in 2002 and was at its lowest, 16, in 2017.
Eswatini ranks 166th of 197 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Freedom Score in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 33 | — |
| 2003 | 21 | -36.4% |
| 2004 | 20 | -4.8% |
| 2005 | 21 | +5.0% |
| 2006 | 23 | +9.5% |
| 2007 | 23 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 23 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 24 | +4.3% |
| 2010 | 23 | -4.2% |
| 2011 | 21 | -8.7% |
| 2012 | 21 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 20 | -4.8% |
| 2014 | 18 | -10.0% |
| 2015 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 18 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 16 | -11.1% |
| 2018 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 19 | +18.8% |
| 2020 | 19 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 17 | -10.5% |
| 2022 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 17 | +0.0% |
Eswatini compared with similar countries
- Eswatini's 17 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 41, 41% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Eswatini's 17 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 35, 49% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 23.5 | 20 | 33 | 8 |
| 2010s | 19 | 16 | 23 | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.33 | 17 | 19 | 6 |
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 freedom score in Eswatini?
- Freedom score in Eswatini was 17 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom score recorded in Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 33 in 2002.
- What is the lowest freedom score recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was 16 in 2017.
- How does Eswatini rank for freedom score?
- Eswatini ranks 166th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom score rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Eswatini data come from?
- The figures come from Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Freedom Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Freedom House's total democracy score is a 0-to-100 aggregate that adds up a country's points on 25 indicators of political rights (max 40) and civil liberties (max 60), creating a single snapshot of the freedoms people actually enjoy.