Eswatini: cities by population
Eswatini has a population of 1,269,859 (UN estimate, 2026), with Mbabane as its capital. The 24 largest of its 24 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
+22%
since 2000 (1,041,414)
+19%
projected by 2050 (1,505,331)
73
people per km²
Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.
Largest cities in Eswatini
| # | Place | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manzini | Manzini Region | 110,537 |
| 2 | Mbabane | Hhohho Region | 76,218 |
| 3 | Malkerns | Manzini Region | 9,724 |
| 4 | Nhlangano | Shiselweni | 9,016 |
| 5 | Mhlume | Lubombo Region | 8,652 |
| 6 | Hluti | Shiselweni | 6,763 |
| 7 | Big Bend | Lubombo Region | 6,433 |
| 8 | Siteki | Lubombo Region | 6,152 |
| 9 | Piggs Peak | Hhohho Region | 5,750 |
| 10 | Lobamba | Hhohho Region | 4,557 |
| 11 | Vuvulane | Lubombo Region | 4,155 |
| 12 | Kwaluseni | Manzini Region | 3,395 |
| 13 | Bhunya | Manzini Region | 3,046 |
| 14 | Mhlambanyatsi | Manzini Region | 2,886 |
| 15 | Hlathikhulu | Shiselweni | 2,748 |
| 16 | Ezulwini | Lubombo Region | 2,661 |
| 17 | Bulembu | Hhohho Region | 2,260 |
| 18 | Kubuta | Shiselweni | 2,038 |
| 19 | Lavumisa | Shiselweni | 2,000 |
| 20 | Thunzini | Lubombo Region | 1,899 |
| 21 | Sidvokodvo | Manzini Region | 1,746 |
| 22 | Darkton | Hhohho Region | 1,281 |
| 23 | Nsoko | Lubombo Region | 1,175 |
| 24 | Ngwenya | Lubombo Region | 842 |
Twenty years earlier: Eswatini in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 1,121,937.
Common questions
What is the population of Eswatini?
Eswatini has a population of 1,269,859, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 1,505,331 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Eswatini?
Mbabane. The largest place we record there is Manzini, with 110,537 people.