Sub-Saharan Africa

A life that begins in Eswatini

One in every 4,515 babies in the world is born here: about 29,706 a year, 0.056 a minute.

Population: 1,256,174
Births a year: 29,706
Life expectancy: 64.2
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000): 45.1

Health and survival

Life expectancy, women (years)
67.1
World: 75.9
Life expectancy, men (years)
61.3
World: 71
Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000)
42.2
World: 27.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
45.1
World: 37.6
Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births)
118
World: 189
Adults living with HIV (%)
23.4
World: 0.7
Adults who smoke (%)
12
World: 20
Alcohol per adult (litres a year)
6.8
World: 4.6
Road deaths (per 100,000)
33.5
World: 17
Homicides (per 100,000)
12.5
World: 4.7

Family and school

Children per woman
2.72
World: 2.85
Women married before 18 (%)
2
World: 18
Children in primary school (%)
83
World: 89
Secondary school enrolment (%)
82
World: 81
Higher education enrolment (%)
6
World: 48
Children aged 7–14 who work (%)
13.3
World: 11.9

Money and work

Income per person (PPP)
$10,707
World: $21,797
Income inequality (Gini, 0–100)
55
World: 34
Living on under $3 a day (%)
44.5
World: 9.9
Unemployment (%)
34.2
World: 5.1
Jobs in farming (%)
15
World: 27
Women in the workforce (%)
49
World: 48
Health costs paid out of pocket (%)
11
World: 37

Home and connection

Living in cities (%)
27
World: 58
Access to electricity (%)
89
World: 92
Safe drinking water (%)
80
World: 91
Internet users (%)
63
World: 72

Peace and wellbeing

Life satisfaction (0–10)
3.91
World: 5.4
Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year)
0
World: 2.43
Refugees abroad (% of population)
0.02
World: 0.34

From 1960 to 2050

How life here has changed, and where UN projections expect it to go. The dashed part is a projection.

Life expectancy

1960: 46.4 → 2026: 63 → 2050: 67.6

World

Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)

1960: 209 → 2026: 42 → 2050: 21

World

Children per woman

1960: 6.8 → 2026: 2.7 → 2050: 2.1

World

Living in cities (%)

1960: 4 → 2026: 27 → 2050: 34

World

Nobody chooses where they are born

In the game, the country is drawn by the real share of births: Eswatini comes up about once in every 4,515 lives.

Other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

All 178 countries →

Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.