Drinking water services in rural areas in Eswatini

Eswatini: Drinking water services in rural areas was 108,034 people in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
108,034 people
Change on year
down 6.3%
World rank
58th
of 178 countries
All-time high
260,726 people
in 2000
All-time low
108,034 people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Drinking water services in rural areas in Eswatini, 2000–2024

0100.0k200.0k300.0k2000201220242000: 260.7k people2001: 256.5k people2002: 251.9k people2003: 246.9k people2004: 241.5k people2005: 236.0k people2006: 230.2k people2007: 224.4k people2008: 217.9k people2009: 211.2k people2010: 204.4k people2011: 197.5k people2012: 190.6k people2013: 183.8k people2014: 176.9k people2015: 169.9k people2016: 163.0k people2017: 156.2k people2018: 149.6k people2019: 142.8k people2020: 136.2k people2021: 129.5k people2022: 122.5k people2023: 115.3k people2024: 108.0k people

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

In 2024, drinking water services in rural areas in Eswatini stood at 108,034 people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is down 6.3% on the previous year and down 38.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, drinking water services in rural areas in Eswatini peaked at 260,726 people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 108,034 people, in 2024.

Eswatini ranks 58th of 178 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

Drinking water services in rural areas in Eswatini, year by year

Annual values for Drinking water services in rural areas in Eswatini, 2000 to 2024.
Year people Change
2000 260,726 people
2001 256,537 people -1.6%
2002 251,896 people -1.8%
2003 246,864 people -2.0%
2004 241,539 people -2.2%
2005 235,971 people -2.3%
2006 230,208 people -2.4%
2007 224,394 people -2.5%
2008 217,874 people -2.9%
2009 211,222 people -3.1%
2010 204,404 people -3.2%
2011 197,472 people -3.4%
2012 190,644 people -3.5%
2013 183,773 people -3.6%
2014 176,875 people -3.8%
2015 169,946 people -3.9%
2016 162,966 people -4.1%
2017 156,179 people -4.2%
2018 149,551 people -4.2%
2019 142,821 people -4.5%
2020 136,182 people -4.6%
2021 129,500 people -4.9%
2022 122,501 people -5.4%
2023 115,298 people -5.9%
2024 108,034 people -6.3%

Eswatini compared with similar countries

  • Eswatini's 108,034 people is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 222,289 people, 49% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
  • Eswatini's 108,034 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 528,044 people, 20% of the median. (47 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 237,723 people 211,222 people 260,726 people 10
2010s 173,463 people 142,821 people 204,404 people 10
2020s 122,303 people 108,034 people 136,182 people 5

Countries ranked near Eswatini

  1. 55 Mongolia 159,370 people compare
  2. 56 Haiti 135,497 people compare
  3. 57 Nepal 130,107 people compare
  4. 59 Kyrgyzstan 107,143 people compare
  5. 60 Chile 98,492 people compare
  6. 61 Turkey 96,895 people compare

See the full ranking of 178 places →

More environment data for Eswatini

All data for Eswatini →

Frequently asked questions

What is drinking water services in rural areas in Eswatini?
Drinking water services in rural areas in Eswatini was 108,034 people in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest drinking water services in rural areas recorded in Eswatini?
The highest recorded value was 260,726 people in 2000.
What is the lowest drinking water services in rural areas recorded in Eswatini?
The lowest recorded value was 108,034 people in 2024.
How does Eswatini rank for drinking water services in rural areas?
Eswatini ranks 58th out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
Is drinking water services in rural areas rising or falling in Eswatini?
Over the last ten years it is down 38.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Eswatini data come from?
The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Drinking water services in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Drinking water services in rural areas in Eswatini. Statizoid, drawing on WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/drinking-water-services-coverage-rural/eswatini/

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About this data

Indicator
Drinking water services in rural areas
Unit
people
Source
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
178 places, 4,232 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Number of people using drinking water directly collected from surface waters.