The total population of Namibia was estimated at 2.99 million people in 2024. Following a continuous upward trend, the total population has risen by 1.64 million people since 1990. Between 2024 and 2030, the total population will rise by 350,000 people, continuing its consistent upward trajectory.This indicator describes the total population in the country at hand. This total population of the country consists of all persons falling within the scope of the census.

The total population in Namibia was estimated at 2.7 million people in 2024, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - Namibia Population - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Population density per pixel at 100 metre resolution. WorldPop provides estimates of numbers of people residing in each 100x100m grid cell for every low and middle income country. Through ingegrating cencus, survey, satellite and GIS datasets in a flexible machine-learning framework, high resolution maps of population counts and densities for 2000-2020 are produced, along with accompanying metadata. DATASET: Alpha version 2010 and 2015 estimates of numbers of people per grid square, with national totals adjusted to match UN population division estimates and remaining unadjusted. REGION: Africa SPATIAL RESOLUTION: 0.000833333 decimal degrees (approx 100m at the equator) PROJECTION: Geographic, WGS84 UNITS: Estimated persons per grid square MAPPING APPROACH: Land cover based, as described in: Linard, C., Gilbert, M., Snow, R.W., Noor, A.M. and Tatem, A.J., 2012, Population distribution, settlement patterns and accessibility across Africa in 2010, PLoS ONE, 7(2): e31743. FORMAT: Geotiff (zipped using 7-zip (open access tool): www.7-zip.org) FILENAMES: Example - AGO10adjv4.tif = Angola (AGO) population count map for 2010 (10) adjusted to match UN national estimates (adj), version 4 (v4). Population maps are updated to new versions when improved census or other input data become available.

This statistic shows the total population of Namibia from 2013 to 2023 by gender. In 2023, Namibia's female population amounted to approximately 1.52 million, while the male population amounted to approximately 1.45 million inhabitants.

Namibia NA: Population: Male: Ages 15-19: % of Male Population data was reported at 10.827 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 11.039 % for 2016. Namibia NA: Population: Male: Ages 15-19: % of Male Population data is updated yearly, averaging 10.865 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.012 % in 2010 and a record low of 9.911 % in 1960. Namibia NA: Population: Male: Ages 15-19: % of Male Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Namibia – Table NA.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Male population between the ages 15 to 19 as a percentage of the total male population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; ;

Graph and download economic data for Population Growth for Namibia (SPPOPGROWNAM) from 1961 to 2024 about Namibia, population, and rate.

Abstract

The 2011 Population and Housing Census is the third national Census to be conducted in Namibia after independence. The first was conducted 1991 followed by the 2001 Census. Namibia is therefore one of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa that has participated in the 2010 Round of Censuses and followed the international best practice of conducting decennial Censuses, each of which attempts to count and enumerate every person and household in a country every ten years. Surveys, by contrast, collect data from samples of people and/or households.

Censuses provide reliable and critical data on the socio-economic and demographic status of any country. In Namibia, Census data has provided crucial information for development planning and programme implementation. Specifically, the information has assisted in setting benchmarks, formulating policy and the evaluation and monitoring of national development programmes including NDP4, Vision 2030 and several sector programmes. The information has also been used to update the national sampling frame which is used to select samples for household-based surveys, including labour force surveys, demographic and health surveys, household income and expenditure surveys. In addition, Census information will be used to guide the demarcation of Namibia's administrative boundaries where necessary.

At the international level, Census information has been used extensively in monitoring progress towards Namibia's achievement of international targets, particularly the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The latest and most comprehensive Census was conducted in August 2011. Preparations for the Census started in the 2007/2008 financial year under the auspices of the then Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) which was later transformed into the Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA). The NSA was established under the Statistics Act No. 9 of 2011, with the legal mandate and authority to conduct population Censuses every 10 years. The Census was implemented in three broad phases; pre-enumeration, enumeration and post enumeration.

During the first pre-enumeration phase, activities accomplished including the preparation of a project document, establishing Census management and technical committees, and establishing the Census cartography unit which demarcated the Enumeration Areas (EAs). Other activities included the development of Census instruments and tools, such as the questionnaires, manuals and field control forms.

Field staff were recruited, trained and deployed during the initial stages of the enumeration phase. The actual enumeration exercise was undertaken over a period of about three weeks from 28 August to 15 September 2011, while 28 August 2011 was marked as the reference period or 'Census Day'.

Great efforts were made to check and ensure that the Census data was of high quality to enhance its credibility and increase its usage. Various quality controls were implemented to ensure relevance, timeliness, accuracy, coherence and proper data interpretation. Other activities undertaken to enhance quality included the demarcation of the country into small enumeration areas to ensure comprehensive coverage; the development of structured Census questionnaires after consultat.The post-enumeration phase started with the sending of completed questionnaires to Head Office and the preparation of summaries for the preliminary report, which was published in April 2012. Processing of the Census data began with manual editing and coding, which focused on the household identification section and un-coded parts of the questionnaire. This was followed by the capturing of data through scanning. Finally, the data were verified and errors corrected where necessary. This took longer than planned due to inadequate technical skills.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

Households and persons

Universe

The sampling universe is defined as all households (private and institutions) from 2011 Census dataset.

Kind of data

Census/enumeration data [cen]

Sampling procedure

Sample Design

The stratified random sample was applied on the constituency and urban/rural variables of households list from Namibia 2011 Population and Housing Census for the Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) file. The sampling universe is defined as all households (private and institutions) from 2011 Census dataset. Since urban and rural are very important factor in the Namibia situation, it was then decided to take the stratum at the constituency and urban/rural levels. Some constituencies have very lower households in the urban or rural, the office therefore decided for a threshold (low boundary) for sampling within stratum. Based on data analysis, the threshold for stratum of PUMS file is 250 households. Thus, constituency and urban/rural areas with less than 250 households in total were included in the PUMS file. Otherwise, a simple random sampling (SRS) at a 20% sample rate was applied for each stratum. The sampled households include 93,674 housing units and 418,362 people.

Sample Selection

The PUMS sample is selected from households. The PUMS sample of persons in households is selected by keeping all persons in PUMS households. Sample selection process is performed using Census and Survey Processing System (CSPro).

The sample selection program first identifies the 7 census strata with less than 250 households and the households (private and institutions) with more than 50 people. The households in these areas and with this large size are all included in the sample. For the other households, the program randomly generates a number n from 0 to 4. Out of every 5 households, the program selects the nth household to export to the PUMS data file, creating a 20 percent sample of households. Private households and institutions are equally sampled in the PUMS data file.

Note: The 7 census strata with less than 250 households are: Arandis Constituency Rural, Rehoboth East Urban Constituency Rural, Walvis Bay Rural Constituency Rural, Mpungu Constituency Urban, Etayi Constituency Urban, Kalahari Constituency Urban, and Ondobe Constituency Urban.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The following questionnaire instruments were used for the Namibia 2011 Population and and Housing Census:

Form A (Long Form): For conventional households and residential institutions

Form B1 (Short Form): For special population groups such as persons in transit (travellers), police cells, homeless and off-shore populations

Form B2 (Short Form): For hotels/guesthouses

Form B3 (Short Form): For foreign missions/diplomatic corps

Cleaning operations

Data editing took place at a number of stages throughout the processing, including: a) During data collection in the field b) Manual editing and coding in the office c) During data entry (Primary validation/editing) Structure checking and completeness using Structured Query Language (SQL) program d) Secondary editing: i. Imputations of variables ii. Structural checking in Census and Survey Processing System (CSPro) program

Sampling error estimates

Sampling Error The standard errors of survey estimates are needed to evaluate the precision of the survey estimation. The statistical software package such as SPSS or SAS can accurately estimate the mean and variance of estimates from the survey. SPSS or SAS software package makes use of the Taylor series approach in computing the variance.

Data appraisal

Data quality Great efforts were made to check and ensure that the Census data was of high quality to enhance its credibility and increase its usage. Various quality controls were implemented to ensure relevance, timeliness, accuracy, coherence and proper data interpretation. Other activities undertaken to enhance quality included the demarcation of the country into small enumeration areas to ensure comprehensive coverage; the development of structured Census questionnaires after consultation with government ministries, university expertise and international partners; the preparation of detailed supervisors' and enumerators' instruction manuals to guide field staff during enumeration; the undertaking of comprehensive publicity and advocacy programmes to ensure full Government support and cooperation from the general public; the testing of questionnaires and other procedures; the provision of adequate training and undertaking of intensive supervision using four supervisory layers; the editing of questionnaires at field level; establishing proper mechanisms which ensured that all completed questionnaires were properly accounted for; ensuring intensive verification, validating all information and error corrections; and developing capacity in data processing with support from the international community.

The annual population growth in Namibia was 2.51 percent in 2023. Between 1961 and 2023, the population growth rose by 0.57 percentage points, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend.

Population growth (annual %) in Namibia was reported at 2.2372 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Namibia - Population growth (annual %) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

Population ages 15-64, male in Namibia was reported at 880448 Persons in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Namibia - Population ages 15-64, male - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

The world's most accurate population datasets. Seven maps/datasets for the distribution of various populations in Namibia: (1) Overall population density (2) Women (3) Men (4) Children (ages 0-5) (5) Youth (ages 15-24) (6) Elderly (ages 60+) (7) Women of reproductive age (ages 15-49).

Historical dataset showing Namibia population density by year from 1961 to 2022.

Namibia NA: Population: Female: Ages 15-19: % of Female Population data was reported at 10.320 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 10.518 % for 2016. Namibia NA: Population: Female: Ages 15-19: % of Female Population data is updated yearly, averaging 10.490 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11.457 % in 2010 and a record low of 9.361 % in 1960. Namibia NA: Population: Female: Ages 15-19: % of Female Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Namibia – Table NA.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Female population between the ages 15 to 19 as a percentage of the total female population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; ;

Historical dataset showing Namibia population growth rate by year from 1961 to 2023.

Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in Namibia was reported at 3.5099 sq. Km in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Namibia - Population density (people per sq. km) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

Population, male (% of total population) in Namibia was reported at 48.84 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Namibia - Population, male (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

The population density in Namibia was 3.51 people in 2022. In a steady upward trend, the population density rose by 2.78 people from 1961.

Graph and download economic data for Employment to Population Ratio for Namibia (SLEMPTOTLSPZSNAM) from 1991 to 2024 about Namibia, employment-population ratio, population, and employment.

Time series data for the statistic Population ages 15-19, male and country Namibia. Indicator Definition:Male population between the ages 15 to 19.The indicator "Population ages 15-19, male" stands at 142.28 Thousand as of 12/31/2024, the highest value at least since 12/31/1961, the period currently displayed. Regarding the One-Year-Change of the series, the current value constitutes an increase of 2.09 percent compared to the value the year prior.The 1 year change in percent is 2.09.The 3 year change in percent is 7.87.The 5 year change in percent is 10.75.The 10 year change in percent is 16.22.The Serie's long term average value is 80.90 Thousand. It's latest available value, on 12/31/2024, is 75.88 percent higher, compared to it's long term average value.The Serie's change in percent from it's minimum value, on 12/31/1960, to it's latest available value, on 12/31/2024, is +376.15%.The Serie's change in percent from it's maximum value, on 12/31/2024, to it's latest available value, on 12/31/2024, is 0.0%.

This statistic shows the median age of the population in Namibia from 1950 to 2100*.The median age is the age that divides a population into two numerically equal groups; that is, half the people are younger than this age and half are older. It is a single index that summarizes the age distribution of a population. In 2020, the median age of the population of Namibia was 20.8 years.