9 answers, 3 from Eswatini's own official bodies, with a link to each figure.
90.75% of people aged 15 and over in Eswatini could read and write in 2022, according to the World Bank, which uses UNESCO data. The previous estimate, for 2000, was 81.7%, so the rate rose by about nine percentage points over two decades.
Literacy estimates for Eswatini are published only every few years. The figure measures basic reading and writing, not school results or skill levels.
Government spending on education in Eswatini was 6.0% of GDP in 2024, up from 5.0% in 2023, according to the World Bank, which uses UNESCO data.
The share rose by about one percentage point of GDP in a year. No national budget figures for education could be checked, because the Government of Eswatini website could not be reached on 15 October 2026.
The primary completion rate in Eswatini was 93.6% in 2023, according to UNESCO data published by the World Bank.
The completion rate compares children entering the last grade of primary school with the population of that age, so it is a proxy rather than a count of children who finished. Older pupils who repeated years can push it up. The latest secondary gross enrolment figure available is 82.0%, for 2016.
The figures below use one definition for every country, so they can differ from national figures.
82.5%: that is net primary school enrolment in Eswatini for 2017, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. The peak was 89.3% in 2011 and the low 82.0% in 2009. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 85.4%, and Eswatini placed 18th highest of 28. Worldwide: 116th of 134.
In 2016, gross secondary school enrolment in Eswatini was 82.0%, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. That is the highest since at least 2005. Sub-Saharan Africa median: 46.9%; Eswatini is 6th highest of 28. Worldwide: 97th of 140.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the adult literacy rate in Eswatini was 90.8% in 2022. It was 81.7% in 2000. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 62.8%, and Eswatini placed 1st highest of 12. Of 44 countries with 2022 data, 22nd highest.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, government spending on education in Eswatini was 6.0% of GDP in 2024. Its high point since 2005 was 2014, at 7.3% of GDP; its low point was 2023, at 5.0% of GDP. Sub-Saharan Africa median: 4.6% of GDP; Eswatini is 4th highest of 11. Worldwide: 8th of 36.
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics puts the number of primary pupils per teacher in Eswatini at 27 in 2017. No year since 2005 has been lower. Sub-Saharan Africa median: 39; Eswatini is 22nd highest of 27. Worldwide: 35th of 130.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the primary completion rate in Eswatini was 93.6% in 2023. The peak was 105.6% in 2022 and the low 68.8% in 2005. It is 5th highest of 24 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 74.0%. Worldwide: 82nd of 131.
Read on 14 October 2026. Definitions · Report an error