Eswatini

**No major new government, ILO, or World Bank data releases on youth or male unemployment were identified in the last 60 days (mid-June to mid-August 2026).**[[1]](https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS?locations=SZ)

The most relevant recent development is the launch of the **Eswatini National Youth Council (ENYC) State of the Youth Report 2026** (around 25 June 2026, with Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini in attendance and support from UNFPA). It reports youth unemployment at **48.7%**, with **34.8%** (or **36.7%** per related coverage) of unemployed youth classified as NEET (not in education, employment, or training).[[2]](https://www.facebook.com/EswatiniObserver/posts/youth-unemployment-in-eswatini-now-at-487the-state-of-the-youth-report-2026-has-/1482271917253326/)[[3]](https://www.facebook.com/TimesofEswatini/videos/who-will-answer-the-youth-the-numbers-paint-a-sobering-picture-youth-unemploymen/862287646938870/)[[4]](https://www.facebook.com/61567635980531/videos/his-right-honourable-prime-minister-russell-mmiso-dlamini-is-currently-attending/1614834079613412/)

- A related August 2026 report noted youth unemployment exceeding **53%** (with young women at 52.4% and young men at 45%).[[5]](https://www.ecofinagency.com/news-industry/0708-58022-eswatini-expands-youth-programs-as-formal-jobs-remain-scarce)
- This represents a modest shift from the 2025 baseline of 50.9% (15-24 male, national) but confirms persistently high rates. No significant change to the overall instability picture.

**No significant new political, security, or economic events** specifically affecting young men (18-35) — such as protests, coup attempts, militia recruitment, or currency crises — were reported in the last 60 days. Coverage emphasizes an “ominous quiet” following earlier tensions, with ongoing references to impunity for 2021 pro-democracy crackdowns and restrictions on civic space (per Human Rights Watch World Report 2026 and related analyses).[[6]](https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2026/country-chapters/eswatini)[[7]](https://issafrica.org/iss-today/eswatini-s-ominous-quiet) Recent activity appears limited to cultural/festival events rather than instability triggers.[[8]](https://www.thekingdomofeswatini.com/events-calendar/)

**Notable 2025/2026 NGO/academic reports** include:
- The ENYC *State of the Youth Report 2026* (launched June 2026), highlighting employment challenges alongside growing youth entrepreneurship and government-backed programs.[[9]](https://enyc.org.sz/)[[10]](https://times.co.sz/34688/comments/from-gift-to-burden-eswatinis-youth-challenge/)
- Afrobarometer findings (October 2025) on youth prioritizing jobs, high emigration intent, and education-employment gaps.[[11]](https://www.afrobarometer.org/publication/ad1064-eswatini-youth-intent-on-employment-cast-eyes-abroad-for-better-prospects/)
- Broader context from HRW and others on human rights and youth vulnerabilities, but no new 2025 publications flagged beyond these.

**No changes to internet/mobile infrastructure access** (shutdowns, major rollouts, or coverage shifts) were reported in the last 60 days. Earlier expansions (e.g., Eswatini Mobile enterprise connectivity and coverage improvements in 2025–early 2026) and past shutdown litigation (e.g., MTN cases) do not indicate recent disruptions.[[12]](https://www.facebook.com/sdnapp/posts/eswatini-mobiles-enterprise-connectivity-speeding-up-to-1000mbps-receives-intern/1537213928406511/)[[13]](https://www.connectingafrica.com/connectivity/mtn-sued-for-internet-shutdown-in-eswatini)

**Overall assessment**: The new *State of the Youth Report 2026* provides updated (slightly lower or varying) unemployment figures but does not signal a significant shift from the baseline high youth instability indicators (unemployment ~49–53%, fuse score 79.4/100). No acute events or infrastructure changes were detected that would markedly alter the picture. Sources include ENYC site, local media (e.g., Times of Eswatini), UN Eswatini announcements, and reports from HRW/ISS Africa.

**National Statistics Bureau (Central Statistical Office - CSO, under Ministry of Economic Planning and Development)**  
- **URL**: https://www.gov.sz/ (CSO section/pages)  
- **API**: No (primarily reports, tables, and occasional microdata releases via downloads or requests)  
- **Update frequency**: Quarterly (e.g., GDP/national accounts) to annual (labor force surveys, unemployment, vital statistics, censuses)  
- **Auth required**: None for public downloads/reports (some microdata may require request)[[1]](https://www.gov.sz/index.php/component/content/article/687-central-statistics-office?catid=78%3Aeconomic-)[[1]](https://www.gov.sz/index.php/component/content/article/687-central-statistics-office?catid=78%3Aeconomic-)

**Central Bank of Eswatini (CBE)**  
- **URL**: https://www.centralbank.org.sz/economic-indicators/ (Monthly Statistical Releases and economic indicators)  
- **API**: No (PDF/Excel downloads of releases and indicators)  
- **Update frequency**: Monthly (statistical releases covering economic/financial indicators; some youth/employment-related via broader economic context)  
- **Auth required**: None[[2]](https://www.centralbank.org.sz/economic-indicators/)[[2]](https://www.centralbank.org.sz/economic-indicators/)

**African Development Bank (AfDB) Statistical Data Portal (Open Data for Africa / Africa Information Highway)**  
- **URL**: https://dataportal.opendataforafrica.org/ (country breakdowns for Eswatini/Southern Africa; socio-economic database)  
- **API**: Partial/no dedicated public developer data API (bulk downloads, visualization tools, and CSV/Excel exports available; some limited or third-party API references exist but not official for core data)  
- **Update frequency**: Varies by indicator/dataset (often annual or as released; covers 1960s onward for many series like employment, poverty, macro indicators)  
- **Auth required**: None (open access; free registration may apply for advanced features in some portals)[[3]](https://www.re3data.org/repository/r3d100011929)[[4]](https://wmich.edu/economics/afdbsed)

**Times of Eswatini / Swaziland News (local/regional news sources)**  
- **URL**: https://www.times.co.sz/ or https://swazilandnews.co.za/ (RSS feeds typically available on newspaper sites)  
- **API**: No dedicated news API (standard RSS feeds for articles/headlines; third-party news APIs like NewsData.io may aggregate Eswatini sources)  
- **Update frequency**: Daily (reliable coverage of local events, economy, youth issues, instability)  
- **Auth required**: None for RSS; paid tiers possible for commercial news APIs[[5]](https://swazilandnews.co.za/)

**Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX) – Eswatini country datasets (aggregator including NGO/government sources)**  
- **URL**: https://data.humdata.org/ (filter by Eswatini/SWZ; poverty, crisis, humanitarian indicators)  
- **API**: Yes (HDX API for dataset discovery/download; integrates various sources)  
- **Update frequency**: As contributed (often monthly/quarterly for crisis/poverty tracking)  
- **Auth required**: None (free/open)[[6]](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/?groups=swz&vocab_Topics=poverty)

**Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) – Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) for Eswatini**  
- **URL**: https://ophi.org.uk/ (country briefings and data downloads for Eswatini)  
- **API**: No (Excel/CSV downloads and reports)  
- **Update frequency**: Periodic (e.g., harmonized surveys around 2021-2022 or updates via national sources)  
- **Auth required**: None

These are the most relevant accessible, non-inference sources identified beyond the ones already in use. National and central bank sources focus on direct downloads rather than APIs. Regional (AfDB) provides good Sub-Saharan coverage with Eswatini breakdowns. News RSS supports event monitoring for instability tracking. No strong evidence of paid APIs or high-frequency machine-readable feeds specific to Eswatini labor/youth data from official local sources.