Namibia People - 2023
SOURCE: 2023 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK
Population
2,777,232 (2023 est.)
Nationality
noun: Namibian(s)
adjective: Namibian
Ethnic groups
Ovambo 50%, Kavangos 9%, Herero 7%, Damara 7%, mixed European and African ancestry 6.5%, European 6%, Nama 5%, Caprivian 4%, San 3%, Baster 2%, Tswana 0.5%
Languages
Oshiwambo languages 49.7%, Nama/Damara 11%, Kavango languages 10.4%, Afrikaans 9.4% (also a common language), Herero languages 9.2%, Zambezi languages 4.9%, English (official) 2.3%, other African languages 1.5%, other European languages 0.7%, other 1% (2016 est.)
note: Namibia has 13 recognized national languages, including 10 indigenous African languages and 3 European languages
Religions
Christian 97.5%, other 0.6% (includes Muslim, Baha'i, Jewish, Buddhist), unaffiliated 1.9% (2020 est.)
Demographic profile
Planning officials view Namibia’s reduced population growth rate as sustainable based on the country’s economic growth over the past decade. Prior to independence in 1990, Namibia’s relatively small population grew at about 3% annually, but declining fertility and the impact of HIV/AIDS slowed this growth to 1.4% by 2011, rebounding to close to 2% by 2016. Namibia’s fertility rate has fallen over the last two decades – from about 4.5 children per woman in 1996 to 3.4 in 2016 and to 3 in 2022 – due to increased contraceptive use, higher educational attainment among women, and greater female participation in the labor force. The average age at first birth has stayed fairly constant, but the age at first marriage continues to increase, indicating a rising incidence of premarital childbearing.
The majority of Namibians are rural dwellers (about 55%) and live in the better-watered north and northeast parts of the country. Migration, historically male-dominated, generally flows from northern communal areas – non-agricultural lands where blacks were sequestered under the apartheid system – to agricultural, mining, and manufacturing centers in the center and south. After independence from South Africa, restrictions on internal movement eased, and rural-urban migration increased, bolstering urban growth.
Some Namibians – usually persons who are better-educated, more affluent, and from urban areas – continue to legally migrate to South Africa temporarily to visit family and friends and, much less frequently, to pursue tertiary education or better economic opportunities. Namibians concentrated along the country’s other borders make unauthorized visits to Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, or Botswana, to visit family and to trade agricultural goods. Few Namibians express interest in permanently settling in other countries; they prefer the safety of their homeland, have a strong national identity, and enjoy a well-supplied retail sector. Although Namibia is receptive to foreign investment and cross-border trade, intolerance toward non-citizens is widespread.
Age structure
0-14 years: 34.38% (male 482,432/female 472,474)
15-64 years: 61.68% (male 834,001/female 878,865)
65 years and over: 3.94% (2023 est.) (male 46,235/female 63,225)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 67.3
youth dependency ratio: 60.6
elderly dependency ratio: 6.7
potential support ratio: 14.8 (2021 est.)
Median age
total: 21.8 years
male: 21.1 years
female: 22.6 years (2020 est.)
Population growth rate
1.8% (2023 est.)
Birth rate
24.68 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Death rate
6.64 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Population distribution
population density is very low, with the largest clustering found in the extreme north-central area along the border with Angola as shown in this population distribution map
Urbanization
urban population: 54.9% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 3.64% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population
477,000 WINDHOEK (capital) (2023)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth
21.6 years (2013 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49
Maternal mortality ratio
215 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 28.49 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 30.52 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 26.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 67.04 years
male: 65 years
female: 69.14 years (2023 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.94 children born/woman (2023 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
1.45 (2023 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
56.1% (2013)
Drinking water source
improved: urban: 98.9% of population
rural: 83.2% of population
total: 91.4% of population
unimproved: urban: 1.1% of population
rural: 16.8% of population
total: 8.6% of population (2020 est.)
Current health expenditure
8.9% of GDP (2020)
Physicians density
0.59 physicians/1,000 population (2018)
Hospital bed density
2.7 beds/1,000 population
Sanitation facility access
improved: urban: 70.6% of population
rural: 23.6% of population
total: 48.1% of population
unimproved: urban: 29.4% of population
rural: 76.4% of population
total: 51.9% of population (2020 est.)
Major infectious diseases
degree of risk: high (2023)
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria
water contact diseases: schistosomiasis
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
17.2% (2016)
Alcohol consumption per capita
total: 2.38 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 1.37 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.53 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0.32 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
total: 15.1% (2020 est.)
male: 24.2% (2020 est.)
female: 6% (2020 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
13.2% (2013)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
33.3% (2023 est.)
Education expenditures
9.6% of GDP (2021 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.3%
male: 90.6%
female: 92.3% (2021)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
total: 40.4%
male: 39.4%
female: 41.7% (2021 est.)
NOTE: The information regarding Namibia on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Namibia 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Namibia 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.
This page was last modified 06 Dec 23, Copyright © 2023 ITA all rights reserved.