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Human Development

Human Development & Quality of Life in Eswatini

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Human Development

Medium human development

UNDP places Eswatini at rank 126 with a 2023 HDI of 0.695, a medium human development result. Reading beyond the headline, the health component is anchored by life expectancy of 64.1 years. A second lens is equally relevant here: The income component uses GNI per capita of $9,919 in 2021 PPP dollars.

0.695HDI Β· 2023
UNDP rank 126
0.695
HDI
UNDP 2023
0.431
IHDI
loss 38.0%
0.484
GII
rank 124
0.964
GDI
group 2

What sits inside Eswatini's HDI

For the current profile, the UNDP inputs behind Eswatini's HDI are 64.1 for life expectancy, 15.2 for expected years of schooling, 8.7 for mean years of schooling and $9,919 GNI per capita in 2021 PPP dollars. These figures show what sits behind the composite score.

64.1
Life expectancy
years
15.2
Expected schooling
years
8.7
Mean schooling
years
$9,919
GNI per capita
2021 PPP $

Inequality changes the headline

Eswatini's IHDI adjusts the headline index for inequality in health, education and income outcomes. It describes distribution, so it is not used here as a quality-of-life rating.

HDI
0.695
IHDI
0.431
38.0%overall loss after inequality adjustment, UNDP 2023

Gender and planetary-pressure adjustments

When reading this profile, Eswatini has additional UNDP measures of GDI 0.964, GII 0.484. They complement one another, but none is treated as a substitute for another.

0.964
Gender Development Index
UNDP group 2. GDI compares female and male achievement in the three HDI dimensions.
0.484
Gender Inequality Index
Rank 124. Lower GII values indicate lower measured inequality across reproductive health, empowerment and labour-market dimensions.
Human development is not the same as quality of life

Quality-of-life coverage is conditional

A comparable life-satisfaction observation was not available in the OECD extract used for Eswatini. No value is inferred when the underlying source does not publish one.

Omit rather than guess: subjective well-being, social support, safety and time-use measures are added only when a reliable source provides a clearly defined country observation and year.

What Eswatini's numbers say together

Eswatini's additional indicators read as IHDI 0.431 with a 38.0% loss; GDI 0.964. Their scopes differ, which is why the page presents them side by side rather than blending them.

HDI places Eswatini in the medium human development group

For the current profile, the headline UNDP result for Eswatini is HDI 0.695, rank 126, for 2023. Broader quality-of-life indicators remain outside that index. When the indicator is reused, do not infer an unstated comparison because the surrounding measures answer different questions.

Inequality changes the effective level

The IHDI is 0.431, and UNDP reports an overall loss of 38.0% relative to the headline index.

Gender development is a separate lens

The GDI value is 0.964 in group 2; it should be read alongside, not merged into, HDI.

No invented score. HDI and quality-of-life measures remain separate.
Every number keeps its year. Publication year is not treated as observation year.
Comparable first, national second. UNDP anchors the core; OECD or national sources add depth.
Missing data are omitted, not guessed. Missing UNDP values are shown as unavailable.

Frequently asked questions

What is Eswatini's HDI?

For the 2023 observation year, UNDP reports HDI 0.695 and rank 126 for Eswatini.

How does inequality affect Eswatini's HDI?

IHDI for Eswatini is 0.431 in the 2023 table. That represents a 38.0% reduction from the headline development index.

Why is there no life satisfaction score on this page?

Quality-of-life data for Eswatini appear only when the page can tie the value to a comparable source and year. No proxy is inserted for a value the source does not report.

Is HDI the same as quality of life?

No. HDI has three core dimensions: health, knowledge and standard of living. Quality-of-life evidence is presented alongside HDI only when a comparable observation is available.

Sources & methodology

Sources for the development indicators and definitions shown above.

View sources used for this page
UNDP Human Development Report 2025 statistical tables

Primary source for 2023 HDI and its components, plus IHDI, GDI, GII and PHDI where reported.

UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Report edition underlying the 2023 human-development indices and ranking.

Data note: Reference years are shown with each indicator; unavailable observations remain unfilled.