Legislative Corruption Score in Eswatini
Eswatini: Legislative Corruption Score was -0.371 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Legislative Corruption Score in Eswatini, 1964–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, legislative corruption score in Eswatini stood at -0.371.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 372.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, legislative corruption score in Eswatini peaked at 1.58 in 1978 and was at its lowest, -0.801, in 2021.
That places Eswatini 95th out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Legislative Corruption Score in Eswatini, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 1.57 | — |
| 1965 | 1.57 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 1.57 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 1.57 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 1.57 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 1.57 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 1.57 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 1.57 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 1.57 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 1.57 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 1.58 | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1.58 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 1.02 | -35.3% |
| 1984 | 1.02 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1.02 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 1.02 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 1.02 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 1.02 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 1.02 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 1.02 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 1.02 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1.02 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 1.02 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1.02 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1.02 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 1.02 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1.02 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1.02 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 1.02 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.629 | -38.4% |
| 2001 | 0.629 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.629 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.629 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.629 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.629 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.629 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.352 | -44.0% |
| 2008 | 0.352 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.352 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.352 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.352 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.352 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.136 | -61.4% |
| 2014 | 0.136 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.136 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.136 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.136 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.136 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.136 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.136 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | -0.801 | -689.0% |
| 2022 | -0.371 | -53.7% |
| 2023 | -0.371 | -0.0% |
| 2024 | -0.371 | -0.0% |
| 2025 | -0.371 | -0.0% |
Eswatini compared with similar countries
- Eswatini's -0.371 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is -0.747, 50% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Eswatini's -0.371 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -0.375, 99% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.57 | 1.57 | 1.57 | 6 |
| 1970s | 1.57 | 1.57 | 1.58 | 6 |
| 1980s | 1.19 | 1.02 | 1.58 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.02 | 1.02 | 1.02 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.5459 | 0.352 | 0.629 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2008 | 0.136 | 0.352 | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.3582 | -0.801 | 0.136 | 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 legislative corruption score in Eswatini?
- Legislative corruption score in Eswatini was -0.371 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest legislative corruption score recorded in Eswatini?
- The highest recorded value was 1.58 in 1978.
- What is the lowest legislative corruption score recorded in Eswatini?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.801 in 2021.
- How does Eswatini rank for legislative corruption score?
- Eswatini ranks 95th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is legislative corruption score rising or falling in Eswatini?
- Over the last ten years it is down 372.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Eswatini data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Legislative Corruption Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 58 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Data by V-Dem. Expert estimates of the extent to which members of the legislature abuse their position for financial gain, such as bribes, government contracts, future employment, or stealing from the state. Higher scores mean less corruption. A score of 0 is approximately the average across all countries and years.