Economy Of Swaziland

Economy overview In this small, landlocked economy, subsistence agriculture occupies more than 80% of the population. The manufacturing sector has diversified since the mid-1980s. Sugar and wood pulp remain important foreign exchange earners. Mining has declined in importance in recent years with only coal and quarry stone mines remaining active. Surrounded by South Africa, except for a short border with Mozambique, Swaziland is heavily dependent on South Africa from which it receives about nine-tenths of its imports and to which it sends nearly three-quarters of its exports. Customs duties from the Southern African Customs Union and worker remittances from South Africa substantially supplement domestically earned income. The government is trying to improve the atmosphere for foreign investment. Overgrazing, soil depletion, drought, and sometimes floods persist as problems for the future. More than one-fourth of the population needed emergency food aid in 2002 because of drought, and more than one-third of the adult population was infected by HIV/AIDS.
 
GDP purchasing power parity - $5.702 billion (2004 est.)
 
GDP - real growth rate 2.2% (2004 est.)
 
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $4,900 (2004 est.)
 
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 16.2%
industry: 43.2%
services: 40.5% (2004 est.)
 
Investment gross fixed 21.1% of GDP (2004 est.)
 
Population below poverty line 40% (1995)
 
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 50.2% (1995)
 
Distribution of family income - Gini index  
Inflation rate consumer prices 7.3% (2004 est.)
 
Labor force 383,200 (2000)
 
Labor force by occupation NA
 
Unemployment rate 34% (2000 est.)
 
Budget
revenues: $462.4 million
expenditures: $563.4 million, including capital expenditures of $147 million (2004 est.)
 
Public debt  
Agriculture products sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep
 
Industries mining (coal), wood pulp, sugar, soft drink concentrates, textile and apparel
 
Industrial production growth rate 3.7% (FY95/96)
 
Electricity production 348.3 million kWh (2001)
 
Electricity production by source
fossil fuel: 58%
hydro: 42%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%
 
Electricity consumption 962.9 million kWh (2001)
 
Electricity exports 0 kWh (2001)
 
Electricity imports 639 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2001)
 
Oil production 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 
Oil consumption 3,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)
 
Oil exports NA (2001)
 
Oil imports NA (2001)
 
Oil proved reserves  
Natural gas production  
Natural gas consumption  
Natural gas exports  
Natural gas imports  
Natural gas proved reserves  
Current account balance $-72.69 million (2004 est.)
 
Exports $905.6 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
 
Exports commodities soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn, refrigerators, citrus and canned fruit
 
Exports partners South Africa 72%, EU 14.2%, Mozambique 3.7%, US 3.5% (1999)
 
Imports $1.088 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
 
Imports commodities motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals
 
Imports partners South Africa 88.8%, EU 5.6%, Japan 0.6%, Singapore 0.4% (1999)
 
Reserves of foreign exchange gold $277.5 million (2004 est.)
 
Debt external $320 million (2002 est.)
 
Economic aid recipient $104 million (2001)
 
Currency lilangeni (SZL)
 
Currency code SZL
 
Exchange rates emalangeni per US dollar - 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002), 8.6092 (2001), 6.9398 (2000), 6.1095 (1999)
 
Fiscal year 1 April - 31 March

 

 

Applied Language Solutions offer English Translation , English to Siswati Translation .

This information was reproduced in part from the CIA World Fact book.

Flags

If you would like to use this flag of Swaziland or any other on your website you are welcome to do so, all we ask is that you include a link back to our site on the same page. Please click here for information.

Map

If you would like to use this map of Swaziland or any other on your website you are welcome to do so, all we ask is that you include a link back to our site on the same page. Please click here for information.

Country Information

If you would like to use this information for Swaziland or any other on your website you are welcome to do so, all we ask is that you include a link back to our site on the same page. Please click here for information.

Information For Swaziland

Introduction
Geography
People
Government
Economy
Communication
Transportation
Military
Transnational Issues
Country Map
Country Flag
Select a country from the alphabetised listing
Or from the region listing

Related Resources

Country Guides
Maps of the World
Flags of the World
International Dialing codes
Fonts
Translation Articles
Case Studies
 
Get a FREE quote or call +44(0)845 367 7000 from the UK | +1(800) 579 5010 from the US
© Copyright 2008 Applied Language Solutions a Translation Services Company