Swaziland

Demographics

Swaziland has the 37th lowest Human Development Index rating in the world

• Population: 1,128,814 (UK: 61 million)
• Birth rate: 26.6 births/1,000 population (UK: 11 births/1,000)
• Life expectancy at birth: 32 (UK: 79 years)
• Population under 15 years: 40% (UK: 17%)
• High infant mortality: more than 1 in 14 (UK: 1 in 200 die at birth)
• Population below the poverty line: 69%
• HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate: 39% (UK: 0.2%)
• Literacy rate: 82% (UK: 99%)

Infrastructure

• Area of the country: 6,704sq miles (UK: 94,525 sq miles)
• 2,233 miles of roads, but only 670 miles of paved roads (UK: 241,104 miles – all paved)
• 18 landing strips of which only 1 is paved

Economy
In this small, landlocked economy, subsistence agriculture occupies approximately 70% of the population. Surrounded by South Africa, except for a short border with Mozambique, Swaziland is heavily dependent on South Africa from which it receives more than nine-tenths of its imports and to which it sends 60% of its exports.

• Main exports include soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn, refrigerators, citrus and canned fruit

Environment
A country with mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains
Current environmental issues include:

• Limited supplies of potable water
• Wildlife populations being depleted because of excessive hunting
• Overgrazing; soil degradation
• Soil erosion

Climate
A varied climate: from tropical to temperate

• Susceptible to drought

Religion

• Zionist 40% (a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship)
• Roman Catholic 20%
• Muslim 10%
• Other (includes Anglican, Bahai, Methodist, Mormon, Jewish) 30%