Who Owns Whom

Eswatini (formerly Swaziland)

Country Code: 748

ISO2 Code: SZ

ISO3 Code: SWZ

Country Economic Snapshot

2023-11-08

The Kingdom of Eswatini is a landlocked country in southern Africa bordering South Africa and Mozambique with a population of 1.19 million, a land mass of 17,364km² and a GDP of US$4.7bn.

It is a member of the South Africa Customs Union (SACU) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union, Commonwealth of Nations, and the United Nations.

Historically SACU, which includes Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Eswatini, was administered by South Africa through the 1910 and 1969 agreements. The customs union collected duties on local production and customs duties on members’ imports from outside SACU, and the resulting revenue was allocated to member countries in quarterly instalments utilising a revenue-sharing formula. Members form a single customs territory in which tariffs and other barriers are eliminated on substantially all the trade between them for products originating in these countries, and there is a common external tariff that applies to non-members.

Eswatini is one of the world’s last remaining absolute monarchies, and the prevailing King Mswati III rules by decree. Elections are held every five years to determine the House of Assembly and the Senate. The king appoints the prime minister from the legislature and appoints a minority of legislators to parliament.

The domestic currency, the lilangeni, is pegged to the South African rand, which is also legal tender in the country. The country has strong economic ties with South Africa, with over 60% of exports going to South Africa and over 80% of imports coming from South Africa.

GDP growth slowed to an estimated 0.4% in 2022 from 7.9% in 2021, partly reflecting the impact of pressures on domestic demand, weak performance in agriculture, and persistent domestic political and social uncertainties. The weak performance of the agriculture and agro-processing subsectors, mainly the sugar industry, reflects the impact of higher input costs, above-average rainfall, arson attacks and labour unrest.

Eswatini is Africa’s fourth largest sugar producer and the 25th largest producer worldwide. Sugar is its main export commodity, accounts for over half of the country’s agricultural output, and contributes about US$285m per year to the economy.


Sources: Who Owns Whom sector reports, CIA Factbook, African Development Bank, World Bank, Trading Economics, African Statistical Yearbook and IMF.

Info

Capital Mbabane
Currency (Name, Abbreviation, Symbol)
Area 17,364 sq km
Type of Government monarchy
Languages English (official, used for government business), siSwati (official)
Natural Resources asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc
Type of Industry coal, wood pulp, sugar, soft drink concentrates, textiles and apparel
Stock Exchange Swaziland Stock Exchange
Stock Exchange Location Mbabane
Stock Exchange Founded 1990
Tax Rate: Corporate 27.5%
Tax Rate: Individual 33%
Natural Resources asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc

Latest available information as sourced from:

African Markets

Trading Economics

Economy Watch

The World Fact Book

KPMG Tax Tables

Company Profile

There is no data available at the moment

Sector Research

CompanyName Stock Exchange Listed Date Ticker Code Country Status
Greystone Partners Ltd Eswatini Stock Exchange 2010-11-00 GREYSTONE Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) Active
Inala Capital Ltd Eswatini Stock Exchange 2019-03-18 INALA Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) Active
Nedbank Eswatini Ltd Eswatini Stock Exchange 1990-00-00 NEDBANK Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) Active
Royal Eswatini Sugar Corporation Ltd (The) Eswatini Stock Exchange 1999-00-00 RSSC Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) Active
SBC Ltd Eswatini Stock Exchange SBC Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) Active
Swazi Empowerment Ltd Eswatini Stock Exchange 2004-00-00 SEL Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) Active
Swaziland Property Investments Ltd Eswatini Stock Exchange 1998-05-00 SWAPROP Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) Active

Top Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) Reports