Democracy in Eswatini

Eswatini: Democracy was 1 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
1
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
159th
of 197 countries
All-time high
3
in 1968
All-time low
0
in 1899
Years of data
127
1899–2025

Democracy in Eswatini, 1899–2025

0123189919622025

Source: Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for democracy in Eswatini is 1, measured in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, democracy in Eswatini peaked at 3 in 1968 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1899.

That places Eswatini 159th out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1890s 0 0 0 1
1900s 0 0 0 10
1910s 0 0 0 10
1920s 0 0 0 10
1930s 0 0 0 10
1940s 0 0 0 10
1950s 0 0 0 10
1960s 1.4 0 3 10
1970s 1.1 0 3 10
1980s 1 1 1 10
1990s 1 1 1 10
2000s 1 1 1 10
2010s 1 1 1 10
2020s 1 1 1 6

Countries ranked near Eswatini

  1. 159 Belarus 1 compare
  2. 159 Cambodia 1 compare
  3. 159 Cuba 1 compare
  4. 159 Guinea 1 compare
  5. 159 Laos 1 compare
  6. 159 Nicaragua 1 compare
  7. 159 North Korea 1 compare
  8. 159 Oman 1 compare
  9. 159 Russia 1 compare
  10. 159 Syria 1 compare
  11. 159 Tunisia 1 compare
  12. 159 Turkmenistan 1 compare
  13. 159 Venezuela 1 compare
  14. 159 Vietnam 1 compare
  15. 159 Western Sahara 1 compare

See the full ranking of 198 places →

More reference data data for Eswatini

All data for Eswatini →

Frequently asked questions

What is democracy in Eswatini?
Democracy in Eswatini was 1 in 2025, according to Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest democracy recorded in Eswatini?
The highest recorded value was 3 in 1968.
What is the lowest democracy recorded in Eswatini?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1899.
How does Eswatini rank for democracy?
Eswatini ranks 159th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
Is democracy rising or falling in Eswatini?
Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Eswatini data come from?
The figures come from Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 127 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Democracy
Source
Lexical Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
198 places, 32,485 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed

Identifies the political regime of a country. It distinguishes between non-electoral autocracies (score 0), one-party autocracies (score 1), multi-party autocracies without elected executive (score 2), multi-party autocracies (score 3), exclusive democracies (score 4), male democracies (score 5), electoral democracies (score 6), and full democracies (score 7).