Country Comments

Eswatini currently has over twice as many people that can be sustained by its current consumption and renewable resource availability. Despite its small size, the Kingdom of Eswatini has a rich natural landscape and supports a high degree of biodiversity. Grassland and savanna ecosystems make up over 90 per cent of the country, allowing for many different animal and plant species to thrive. But the country’s natural beauty could well be under threat due to gaps in chemicals and waste management programmes. Industrial pollution, urban waste and agricultural chemicals pose a serious risk both to the environment and to public health. (1)

Eswatini has the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the world. Avert.org reported women are disproportionately affected by Eswatini’s HIV epidemic: of the 210,000 people living with HIV in 2018 (190,000 adults), 120,000 were women. Within the entire population, 35.1% of all women are living with HIV, compared to 19.3% of men. Women’s increased vulnerability to HIV stems from gender inequality within Eswatini’s society. Women are often subordinate to men, with high levels of gender-based violence and men engaged in multi-concurrent partnerships. In 2018, the UN’s Human Development Report ranked Eswatini 137 out of 159 countries for gender inequality, indicating just how severe the issue is. In July 2018 the King finally signed the bill into law, seen as a significant milestone for gender equality in the country. (2)

(1) UN Environment, 2019

(2) https://www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-around-world/sub-saharan-africa/swaziland