Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2009-2010

The Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) was a multipurpose survey of households in Swaziland which collected information on different dimensions of the population's living conditions. The data was collected on a countrywide basis including among others; education, health and employment. The survey used the most comprehensive household surveys available in Swaziland and focused on three dimensions of poverty namely; consumption poverty, lack of access to assets/services and human development.

The survey covered an analysis of living conditions from another perspective other than just monetary poverty. It also provided an opportunity to study trends in household well-being over a ten year period and ensure evidence-based public policy decision-making in poverty reduction efforts. The HIES added to the policy debate and discussions in Swaziland on actions taken to reduce poverty so far and various programs being implemented to chart the progress towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and to monitor other policy initiatives such as the Poverty Reduction Strategy and Action Plan (PRSAP). The questionnaires used for these two rounds were almost identical, meaning that the results can be directly compared. Each round covered a nationally representative sample of households spread over a twelve-month period.