| Population | 2,678,191 (July 2021 est.) note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected |
| 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 .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 80% to 90% (at least 50% Lutheran), indigenous beliefs 10% to 20% |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 35.68% (male 473,937/female 464,453) 15-24 years: 20.27% (male 267,106/female 265,882) 25-54 years: 35.47% (male 449,132/female 483,811) 55-64 years: 4.68% (male 54,589/female 68,619) 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 43,596/female 58,948) (2020 est.) |
| Dependency ratios | total dependency ratio: 67.9 youth dependency ratio: 61.8 elderly dependency ratio: 6 potential support ratio: 16.6 (2020 est.) |
| Median age | total: 21.8 years male: 21.1 years female: 22.6 years (2020 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 1.83% (2021 est.) |
| Birth rate | 25.33 births/1,000 population (2021 est.) |
| Death rate | 7.07 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.) |
| Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 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: 53% of total population (2021) rate of urbanization: 3.64% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
| Major cities - population | 446,000 WINDHOEK (capital) (2021) |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.8 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2020 est.) |
| Mother's mean age at first birth | 21.6 years (2013 est.) note: median age at first birth among women 25-49 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 195 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 30.38 deaths/1,000 live births male: 32.47 deaths/1,000 live births female: 28.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 65.87 years male: 63.9 years female: 67.9 years (2021 est.) |
| Total fertility rate | 3.03 children born/woman (2021 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate | 56.1% (2013) |
| Drinking water source | improved: urban: 98.9% of population rural: 80.8% of population total: 89.7% of population unimproved: urban: 1.1% of population rural: 19.2% of population total: 10.3% of population (2017 est.) |
| Health expenditures | 8% (2018) |
| Physicians density | 0.42 physicians/1,000 population (2018) |
| Hospital bed density | 2.7 beds/1,000 population (2009) |
| Sanitation facility access | improved: urban: 72.9% of population rural: 22% of population total: 46.9% of population unimproved: urban: 27.1% of population rural: 78% of population total: 53.1% of population (2017 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 11.6% (2020 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 210,000 (2020 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 3,000 (2020 est.) |
| Major infectious diseases | degree of risk: high (2020) 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) |
| Food insecurity | severe localized food insecurity: due to reduced incomes - an above-average harvest in 2021 is expected to lead to an improvement in food security compared to the previous year, however, the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily income and job losses, are expected to continue to constrain households’ access to food (2021) |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 13.2% (2013) |
| Education expenditures | 3.1% of GDP (2014) |
| 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 – 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. |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 91.5% male: 91.6% female: 91.4% (2018) |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
