FSCI Indicators Breakdown
The Food Systems Countdown Initiative (FSCI) is a collaborative interdisciplinary effort to monitor global food systems. The FSCI developed a framework that includes five themes: (1) diets, nutrition, and health; (2) environment, natural resources, and production; (3) livelihoods, poverty, and equity; (4) governance; and (5) resilience and identified 50 indicators across these themes. This page presents national level data for these 50 indicators for Eswatini.
Eswatini income group: Lower Middle Income
Comparison
Eswatini
Southern Africa
World
Diets, Nutrition, and Health
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Eswatini
3.47
Southern Africa
3.43
World
3.32
PPP dollar/capita/day
Cost of a healthy diet per capita
3.47 PPP dollar/capita/day
Per-person cost of the least expensive locally available foods to meet daily needs, based on food-based dietary guidelines
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Eswatini
65%
Southern Africa
62%
World
37%
Percent of the population who cannot afford a healthy diet
65%
Share of the population whose food budget is less than the cost of a healthy diet
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Eswatini
220.6
Southern Africa
137.8
World
256.7
g/capita/day
Availability of fruits
220.6 g/capita/day
Amount of fruits—an underconsumed yet highly nutritious food group—available in a country’s food supply per capita per day
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Eswatini
90.1
Southern Africa
97.9
World
278.9
g/capita/day
Availability of vegetables
90.1 g/capita/day
Amount of vegetables—an underconsumed yet highly nutritious food group—available in a country’s food supply per capita per day
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Eswatini
78%
Southern Africa
78%
World
68%
Percent of the population using safely managed drinking water services
78%
Share of the population that gets drinking water from an improved source, providing the clean water essential for food security (SDG 6.1.1)
2022
Eswatini
11.4
Southern Africa
36.7
World
155.1
current PPP dollar/capita/year
Retail value (total sales) of ultra-processed foods per capita
11.4 current PPP dollar/capita/year
Annual perperson sales of ultra-processed foods, which are known to be associated with poor health outcomes
2019
Southern Africa
72%
World
66%
MDD-W: Minimum dietary diversity for women
No Data
Share of women who consumed at least the minimum recommended food groups the previous day, which makes it more likely they consume adequate micronutrients
Southern Africa
23%
World
39%
All-5: Consumption of all five food groups
No Data
Share of the adult population consuming all five food groups typically recommended for daily consumption
Southern Africa
3.3
World
3.8
NCD-Protect
No Data
Average score for adults on an indicator of dietary practices protective against noncommunicable diseases, like eating enough fiber, on a scale from 0 to 9
Southern Africa
3.2
World
2.1
NCD-Risk
No Data
Average score for adults on an indicator of dietary practices known to raise the risk of noncommunicable diseases, like eating too much sugar, on a scale from 0 to 9
Southern Africa
10%
World
11%
Adults: Zero fruit or vegetable consumption
No Data
Share of adults who did not consume any fruits or vegetables the previous day
Southern Africa
51%
World
19%
Adults: Soft drink consumption
No Data
Share of adults who consumed a sugar-sweetened soft drink, which are generally known to be unhealthy, during the previous day
Eswatini
12%
Southern Africa
10%
World
11%
POU: Prevalence of undernourishment
12%
Share of the population that goes hungry—that is, lacks enough calories for a healthy, active life (SDG 2.1.1)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Eswatini
60%
Southern Africa
25%
World
29%
Percent of the population experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity
60%
Share of the population experiencing food insecurity, measured according to the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) (SDG 2.1.2)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Eswatini
48%
Southern Africa
39%
World
32%
MDD (IYCF): Minimum dietary diversity for infants and young children
48%
Share of young children who consumed at least the minimum recommended food groups the previous day, which makes it more likely they consume adequate micronutrients
2014
Source: UNICEF
Eswatini
21
Southern Africa
37
World
39
% population 6-23 months
Children (6-23 months): Zero fruit or vegetable consumption
21% population 6-23 months
Share of young children who did not consume any fruits or vegetables the previous day
2014
Source: UNICEF
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Environment, natural resources, and production
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Eswatini
0.2
Southern Africa
0.4
World
0.4
tonnes/ha
Cereals yield
0.2 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Eswatini
0.9
Southern Africa
2.3
World
1.4
tonnes/ha
Fruit yield
0.9 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Eswatini
0.8
Southern Africa
1.7
World
2
tonnes/ha
Vegetable yield
0.8 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Eswatini
2,958
Southern Africa
25,151.3
World
22,628.8
100 g/animal
Cow's milk yield
2,958 100 g/animal
Yield, or production per animal (100 g per animal)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Eswatini
229.8
Southern Africa
301.1
World
221
kg/animal
Beef yield
229.8 kg/animal
Yield, or production per animal (100 g per animal)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Southern Africa
37.2
World
21.2
Fishery health index progress score
No Data
An indicator summarizing the availability and sustainability of fish, which are at risk of overfishing or environmental degradation
Source: Minderoo Foundation
Eswatini
2,437.2
Southern Africa
35,769.4
World
83,692.6
kT CO2eq
Agri-food systems greenhouse gas emissions
2,437.2 kT CO2eq
Eswatini
0.3
Southern Africa
0.2
World
0.2
kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for cereals (excluding rice)
0.3 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of cereals (excluding rice)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Eswatini
2.7
Southern Africa
56.4
World
1.1
kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for rice
2.7 kg CO2eq/kg product
Eswatini
6.4
Southern Africa
0.7
World
1
kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for cow's milk
6.4 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of cow's milk
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Eswatini
36.8
Southern Africa
17.6
World
28.3
kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for beef
36.8 kg CO2eq/kg product
Eswatini
0
Southern Africa
0
World
0
% change
Cropland area change
0% change
Average percentage change in cropland over the previous five years; expanding cropland is a major driver of biodiversity and ecosystem service loss and greenhouse gas emissions
2021
Source: FSCI
Eswatini
52
Southern Africa
71
World
43
% agricultural land
Functional integrity: Agricultural land with minimum level of natural habitat
52% agricultural land
Percentage of agricultural land area with enough semi-natural or natural habitat, relative to the amount of cropland or rangeland, to maintain biodiversity and functioning ecosystems
2015
Source: DeClerck et al. 2021
Eswatini
22%
Southern Africa
21%
World
17%
Agriculture water withdrawal as percent of total renewable water resources
22%
Water withdrawn for irrigation each year, as a percentage of the total renewable water resources available
2020
Source: AQUASTAT
Eswatini
6.9
Southern Africa
3.3
World
2.3
kg/ha
Pesticide use per area of cropland
6.9 kg/ha
The use of pesticides per area of cropland (kg active ingredient per hectare); pesticide use can cause pollution and harm health
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Livelihoods, Poverty, and Equity
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Eswatini
8
Southern Africa
3
World
4
% GDP
Share of agriculture in GDP
8% GDP
Percentage of a country’s GDP derived from agriculture, a measure of the level of economic development of the country
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Eswatini
39
Southern Africa
26
World
4
% working age population
Unemployment rate (Rural)
39% working age population
Eswatini
10
Southern Africa
5
World
6
% working age population
Underemployment rate (Rural)
10% working age population
Percentage of working-age people in rural areas who are underemployed (i.e., worked fewer hours than expected)
2021
Source: ILO
Eswatini
81
Southern Africa
77
World
58
% population
Social protection coverage
81% population
Percentage of people who live in households that benefit from social protection programs, like cash transfers and health insurance
2016
Source: World Bank
Eswatini
14
Southern Africa
53
World
23
% welfare of beneficiary households
Social protection adequacy
14% welfare of beneficiary households
An indicator showing the extent to which social protection is sufficient to meet household needs
2016
Source: World Bank
Southern Africa
8
World
8
% children 5-17
Percent of children 5-17 years engaged in child labor
No Data
Percentage of children ages 5–17 who are engaged in child labor, the majority of which is known to be in the food system and specifically in agriculture
Source: UNICEF
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Governance
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Eswatini
0.4
Southern Africa
0.7
World
0.6
Civil society participation index
0.4
An indicator capturing the level of participation in civil society organizations
2022
Source: Varieties of Democracy
Eswatini
0%
Southern Africa
24%
World
8%
Percent of the urban population living in cities signed onto the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact
0%
Percentage of the urban population that lives in cities signed on to the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, suggesting prioritization of food issues in urban planning
2020
Southern Africa
NaN
World
NaN
Degree of legal recognition of the right to food
No Data
Southern Africa
NaN
World
NaN
Presence of a national food system transformation pathway
No Data
Eswatini
-0.7
Southern Africa
-0.1
World
0
Government effectiveness index
-0.7
An index capturing the perception of how effective the government is in making and enforcing policies and providing services
2022
Source: World Governance Indicators
Eswatini
40
Southern Africa
94.5
World
69.5
Food safety capacity
40
Whether functioning mechanisms exist to detect and respond to foodborne disease issues, measured as the percentage of a set of criteria met
2020
Source: WHO Global Health Observatory
Southern Africa
NaN
World
NaN
Presence of national health-related food environment policies
No Data
Whether the country has any health-related food taxes, which are used to discourage consumption of unhealthy foods
Eswatini
-0.7
Southern Africa
1.2
World
0.2
V-Dem accountability index
-0.7
An index capturing the extent to which the government is seen as being accountable for its actions
2022
Source: Varieties of Democracy
Eswatini
31
Southern Africa
79.4
World
43
Open budget index score
31
A score based on how easily the public can access information about how the government raises and spends money
2021
Source: International Budget Partnership
Southern Africa
NaN
World
NaN
Guarantees for public access to information
No Data
Whether the country has and implements guarantees for access to information (SDG 16.10.2)
Source: Sustainable Development Goals
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Resilience
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Southern Africa
NaN
World
NaN
Ratio of total damages from all disasters to GDP
No Data
Cost of all damage from natural disasters, as a percentage of GDP
Source: EM-DAT
Eswatini
0.5
Southern Africa
0.8
World
0.7
Dietary sourcing flexibility index
0.5
An index capturing the diversity of pathways through which food reaches consumers, indicating how difficult it is to disrupt the food supply
2019
Source:
FAO
Eswatini
122.2
Southern Africa
127.1
World
110.1
Number per 100 people
Mobile cellular subscriptions
122.2 Number per 100 people
Number of mobile phone subscriptions as a percentage of the population, indicating the level of infrastructure and access to information to respond to shocks
2022
Eswatini
0.4
Southern Africa
0.4
World
0.5
Social capital index
0.4
An index for the social capital in the country—how much people feel they can trust and can rely on their government and one another
2021
Source: Legatum InstituteFSCI
Eswatini
29
Southern Africa
15
World
25
% agricultural land
Proportion of agricultural land with minimum level of species diversity (crop and pasture)
29% agricultural land
Percentage of agricultural land (crop and pasture) containing a sufficient diversity of species, which helps cope with shocks and changes
2020
Source:
Jones et al. 2021
Eswatini
746
Southern Africa
4,505.9
World
163,165.1
Number of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities
746
Number of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Eswatini
0
Southern Africa
3.4
World
3.8
Number of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities
0
Number of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Eswatini
0.3
Southern Africa
0.3
World
0.4
Prevalence of severe coping strategies
0.3
Percentage of high-risk populations who need to rely on extreme strategies to cope with food insecurity
2022
Source:
WFP
Eswatini
0
Southern Africa
0.5
World
0.7
Food price volatility
0
Eswatini
21
Southern Africa
32.4
World
32.2
kcal/capita/day
Food supply variability per capita
21 kcal/capita/day
How much the food supply (in calories per person per day) varies over time, indicating how well the food system can respond to shocks
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Less Desirable
More Desirable