Eswatini: Tax revenue (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Eswatini's tax revenue (current LCU) fell 6.2% on 2020 (from 18.45 billion to 17.3 billion).

Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2000 to 2020), the average change was +12.9% and a typical year strayed about 27.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 98.4% in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was 32.2% in 2010. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 the straight-line trend is upward, about 705.88 million a year. A straight line explains 86% of the movement over 9 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 22.24 billion for 2024. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2019 to 2021 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 865.97 million, against 2.41 billion for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

Closest to Eswatini in the 2021 ranking

• Congo, Rep. — 5th of 9: 535.13 billion
• Peru — 6th of 9: 139.86 billion
• Central African Republic — 7th of 9: 114.52 billion
• Maldives — 9th of 9: 15.71 billion

What this measures

Taxes are compulsory, unrequited payments, in cash or in kind, made by institutional units to government units. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

All 22 values

Tax revenue (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Angola — 7.89 trillion (2024)
• Botswana — 59.18 billion (2023)
• Burkina Faso — 2.62 trillion (2024)
• Burundi — 1.03 trillion (2021)
• Cabo Verde — 32.42 billion (2020)
• Cameroon — 2.83 trillion (2021)
• Central African Republic — 114.52 billion (2021)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 15.07 trillion (2022)
• Congo, Rep. — 535.13 billion (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 6.39 trillion (2023)
• Equatorial Guinea — 563.15 billion (2022)

More public sector data for Eswatini

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 93.36 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 1.67 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.6% (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 5.17% (2025)
• Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) — 12.51 (2021)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU) — 3.79 billion (2021)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP) — 5.33% (2021)
• Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) — -3.29 billion (2021)
• Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) — -4.63% (2021)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Eswatini's tax revenue (current LCU)?

17.3 billion in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1999?

It is up 630.23% from 2.37 billion in 1999 (9.46% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 18.45 billion in 2020 and the lowest 2.19 billion in 2000.

Is the latest change in tax revenue (current LCU) unusual for Eswatini?

In 2021, Eswatini's tax revenue (current LCU) fell 6.2% on 2020 (from 18.45 billion to 17.3 billion). Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2000 to 2020), the average change was +12.9% and a typical year strayed about 27.4% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.TAX.TOTL.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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