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.

The total population of Namibia stands at approximately 3.05 million people in 2025.Continuous rise between 1990 and 2025Compared to the earliest depicted observation from 1990 there is a total increase by approximately 1.70 million people. Looking at the trajectory between 1990 and 2025, one can observe that this increase furthermore happened continuously.Continuous rise between 2025 and 2030The total population will stand at roughly 3.34 million people in 2030, according to forecasts. This indicates an overall increase by approximately 290 thousand people since 2025. This growth reflects a steady upward trend.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.

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.

Population ages 0-14, total in Namibia was reported at 1105007 Persons in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Namibia - Population, ages 0-14, total - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

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.

Population in largest city in Namibia was reported at 494085 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Namibia - Population in largest city - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

VERSION 1.5. 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). Methodology These high-resolution maps are created using machine learning techniques to identify buildings from commercially available satellite images. This is then overlayed with general population estimates based on publicly available census data and other population statistics at Columbia University. The resulting maps are the most detailed and actionable tools available for aid and research organizations. For more information about the methodology used to create our high resolution population density maps and the demographic distributions, click here. For information about how to use HDX to access these datasets, please visit: https://dataforgood.fb.com/docs/high-resolution-population-density-maps-demographic-estimates-documentation/ Adjustments to match the census population with the UN estimates are applied at the national level. The UN estimate for a given country (or state/territory) is divided by the total census estimate of population for the given country. The resulting adjustment factor is multiplied by each administrative unit census value for the target year. This preserves the relative population totals across administrative units while matching the UN total. More information can be found here

Population, female (% of total population) in Namibia was reported at 51.16 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Namibia - Population, female (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Namibia NA: Population: Total data was reported at 2,533,794.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 2,479,713.000 Person for 2016. Namibia NA: Population: Total data is updated yearly, averaging 1,331,337.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,533,794.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 602,544.000 Person in 1960. Namibia NA: Population: Total 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.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Sum; Relevance to gender indicator: disaggregating the population composition by gender will help a country in projecting its demand for social services on a gender basis.

Namibia NA: Population: Male: Ages 20-24: % of Male Population data was reported at 10.446 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 10.545 % for 2016. Namibia NA: Population: Male: Ages 20-24: % of Male Population data is updated yearly, averaging 9.323 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 10.605 % in 2015 and a record low of 8.105 % in 1979. Namibia NA: Population: Male: Ages 20-24: % 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 20 to 24 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.; ;

Namibia NA: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 15-64 data was reported at 60.241 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 60.113 % for 2016. Namibia NA: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 15-64 data is updated yearly, averaging 53.982 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 60.241 % in 2017 and a record low of 50.250 % in 1983. Namibia NA: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 15-64 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 64 as a percentage of the total female population. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average; Relevance to gender indicator: Knowing how many girls, adolescents and women there are in a population helps a country in determining its provision of services.

Namibia NA: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 65 and Above data was reported at 4.170 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 4.108 % for 2016. Namibia NA: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 65 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 3.978 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.216 % in 1960 and a record low of 3.722 % in 2000. Namibia NA: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 65 and Above 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 65 years of age or older as a percentage of the total female population. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average; Relevance to gender indicator: Knowing how many girls, adolescents and women there are in a population helps a country in determining its provision of services.

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.; ;

Namibia NA: Population: Female data was reported at 1,301,124.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,273,940.000 Person for 2016. Namibia NA: Population: Female data is updated yearly, averaging 684,312.500 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,301,124.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 305,087.000 Person in 1960. Namibia NA: Population: Female 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 is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all female residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; World Bank staff estimates using the World Bank's total population and age/sex distributions of the United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Sum;

Namibia NA: Population: Male: Ages 50-54: % of Male Population data was reported at 3.009 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 2.977 % for 2016. Namibia NA: Population: Male: Ages 50-54: % of Male Population data is updated yearly, averaging 2.811 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.192 % in 1960 and a record low of 2.439 % in 1991. Namibia NA: Population: Male: Ages 50-54: % 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 50 to 54 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.; ;

Namibia NA: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 29.181 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 29.587 Ratio for 2015. Namibia NA: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 39.041 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 44.359 Ratio in 1974 and a record low of 29.181 Ratio in 2016. Namibia NA: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People 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.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Crude birth rate indicates the number of live births occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

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 June of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Population, Total for Namibia (POPTOTNAA647NWDB) from 1960 to 2023 about Namibia and population.

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

Abstract

The 2013 NDHS is part of the worldwide Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) programme funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). DHS surveys are designed to collect data on fertility, family planning, and maternal and child health; assist countries in monitoring changes in population, health, and nutrition; and provide an international database that can be used by researchers investigating topics related to population, health, and nutrition.

The overall objective of the survey is to provide demographic, socioeconomic, and health data necessary for policymaking, planning, monitoring, and evaluation of national health and population programmes. In addition, the survey measured the prevalence of anaemia, HIV, high blood glucose, and high blood pressure among adult women and men; assessed the prevalence of anaemia among children age 6-59 months; and collected anthropometric measurements to assess the nutritional status of women, men, and children.

A long-term objective of the survey is to strengthen the technical capacity of local organizations to plan, conduct, and process and analyse data from complex national population and health surveys. At the global level, the 2013 NDHS data are comparable with those from a number of DHS surveys conducted in other developing countries. The 2013 NDHS adds to the vast and growing international database on demographic and health-related variables.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

Households Women Men Children

Universe

The survey covered all houshold members, all women 15-49 years, all children 0-59 months and all men 15-64 years In half of the survey households.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The primary focus of the 2013 NDHS was to provide estimates of key population and health indicators, including fertility and mortality rates, for the country as a whole and for urban and rural areas. In addition, the sample was designed to provide estimates of most key variables for the 13 administrative regions.

Each of the administrative regions is subdivided into a number of constituencies (with an overall total of 107 constituencies). Each constituency is further subdivided into lower level administrative units. An enumeration area (EA) is the smallest identifiable entity without administrative specification, numbered sequentially within each constituency. Each EA is classified as urban or rural.

The sampling frame used for the 2013 NDHS was the preliminary frame of the 2011 Namibia Population and Housing Census (NSA, 2013a). The sampling frame was a complete list of all EAs covering the whole country. Each EA is a geographical area covering an adequate number of households to serve as a counting unit for the population census. In rural areas, an EA is a natural village, part of a large village, or a group of small villages; in urban areas, an EA is usually a city block. The 2011 population census also produced a digitised map for each of the EAs that served as the means of identifying these areas.

The sample for the 2013 NDHS was a stratified sample selected in two stages. In the first stage, 554 EAs—269 in urban areas and 285 in rural areas—were selected with a stratified probability proportional to size selection from the sampling frame. The size of an EA is defined according to the number of households residing in the EA, as recorded in the 2011 Population and Housing Census. Stratification was achieved by separating every region into urban and rural areas. Therefore, the 13 regions were stratified into 26 sampling strata (13 rural strata and 13 urban strata). Samples were selected independently in every stratum, with a predetermined number of EAs selected. A complete household listing and mapping operation was carried out in all selected clusters. In the second stage, a fixed number of 20 households were selected in every urban and rural cluster according to equal probability systematic sampling.

Due to the non-proportional allocation of the sample to the different regions and the possible differences in response rates, sampling weights are required for any analysis using the 2013 NDHS data to ensure the representativeness of the survey results at the national as well as the regional level. Since the 2013 NDHS sample was a two-stage stratified cluster sample, sampling probabilities were calculated separately for each sampling stage and for each cluster.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

Three questionnaires were administered in the 2013 NDHS: the Household Questionnaire, the Woman’s Questionnaire, and the Man’s Questionnaire. These questionnaires were adapted from the standard DHS6 core questionnaires to reflect the population and health issues relevant to Namibia at a series of meetings with various stakeholders from government ministries and agencies, nongovernmental organisations, and international donors. The final draft of each questionnaire was discussed at a questionnaire design workshop organised by the MoHSS from September 25-28, 2012, in Windhoek. The questionnaires were then translated from English into the six main local languages—Afrikaans, Rukwangali, Oshiwambo, Damara/Nama, Otjiherero, and Silozi—and back translated into English. The questionnaires were finalised after the pretest, which took place from February 11-25, 2013.

Cleaning operations

CSPro—a Windows-based integrated census and survey processing system that combines and replaces the ISSA and IMPS packages—was used for entry, editing, and tabulation of the NDHS data. Prior to data entry, a practical training session was provided by ICF International to all data entry staff. A total of 28 data processing personnel, including 17 data entry operators, one questionnaire administrator, two office editors, three secondary editors, two network technicians, two data processing supervisors, and one coordinator, were recruited and trained on administration of questionnaires and coding, data entry and verification, correction of questionnaires and provision of feedback, and secondary editing. NDHS data processing was formally launched during the week of June 22, 2013, at the National Statistics Agency Data Processing Centre in Windhoek. The data entry and editing phase of the survey was completed in January 2014.

Response rate

A total of 11,004 households were selected for the sample, of which 10,165 were found to be occupied during data collection. Of the occupied households, 9,849 were successfully interviewed, yielding a household response rate of 97 percent.

In these households, 9,940 women age 15-49 were identified as eligible for the individual interview. Interviews were completed with 9,176 women, yielding a response rate of 92 percent. In addition, in half of these households, 842 women age 50-64 were successfully interviewed; in this group of women, the response rate was 91 percent.

Of the 5,271 eligible men identified in the selected subsample of households, 4,481 (85 percent) were successfully interviewed.

Response rates were higher in rural than in urban areas, with the rural-urban difference more marked among men than among women.