Sub-Saharan Africa · Lower middle income
Namibia: the economy in numbers
Per person: $4,876, or $11,986 at purchasing power parity. Population: 3.09 million (2025).
GDP in 2025, current US dollars: #144 of 204 economies. IMF forecast for 2026: +2.0%.
GDP
Adjusted for US inflation, in 2025 dollars: $9.47 billion in 1980, $15.1 billion in 2025.
GDP per capita
In 2025 dollars: $9,649 per person in 1980, $4,876 in 2025.
Real GDP growth
Average over 2016–2025: 0.9% a year. Years of falling GDP since 1981: 7 of 45.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Inflation
Consumer prices rose 3.24 times from 2002 to 2025. Highest annual inflation: 21.6% in 1992.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Government debt, % of GDP
Highest since 1993: 70.1% of GDP in 2022. IMF forecast for 2031: 71.2%.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Stock market capitalization, % of GDP
In 2024 listed domestic companies were worth $2.48 billion, or 18.2% of GDP.
Population
1960: 591,465 · 2025: 3.09 million.
Unemployment rate
1991: 19.1% · 2025: 19.3%.
Life expectancy at birth
1960: 48.5 years · 2024: 67.5 years.
Exports of goods and services
1980: 70.4% · 2025: 44.7%.
Data by year
Show the year-by-year table
| Year | GDP | GDP per capita | Per capita, PPP | Real growth | Inflation | Gov. debt, % GDP | Population | Unemployment | Stock market, % GDP | Life expectancy | Exports, % GDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2031 | 3.0%f | 3.0%f | 71.2%f | ||||||||
| 2030 | 3.0%f | 3.0%f | 70.2%f | ||||||||
| 2029 | 3.1%f | 3.0%f | 69.2%f | ||||||||
| 2028 | 3.0%f | 3.3%f | 68.5%f | ||||||||
| 2027 | 2.7%f | 4.2%f | 67.8%f | ||||||||
| 2026 | 2.0%f | 4.1%f | 67.5%f | ||||||||
| 2025 | $15.1B | $4,876 | $11,986 | 1.7% | 3.5% | 67.5% | 3.09M | 19.3% | 44.7% | ||
| 2024 | $13.6B | $4,502 | $11,698 | 3.8% | 4.2% | 68.5% | 3.03M | 19.2% | 18.2% | 67.5 | 41.1% |
| 2023 | $12.5B | $4,226 | $11,248 | 4.3% | 5.9% | 67.2% | 2.96M | 19.2% | 19.0% | 67.4 | 43.3% |
| 2022 | $12.6B | $4,350 | $10,661 | 5.4% | 6.1% | 70.1% | 2.89M | 19.6% | 17.2% | 64.2 | 40.5% |
| 2021 | $12.4B | $4,413 | $9,709 | 3.6% | 3.6% | 69.6% | 2.81M | 20.9% | 19.3% | 60.9 | 32.0% |
| 2020 | $10.6B | $3,879 | $9,354 | −8.1% | 2.2% | 64.3% | 2.73M | 21.0% | 17.6% | 64.1 | 33.7% |
| 2019 | $12.5B | $4,732 | $9,609 | −0.8% | 3.7% | 57.6% | 2.65M | 19.9% | 20.8% | 63.5 | 36.4% |
| 2018 | $13.7B | $5,309 | $9,854 | 1.1% | 4.3% | 48.7% | 2.58M | 19.9% | 18.0% | 62.6 | 35.9% |
| 2017 | $12.9B | $5,144 | $9,888 | −1.0% | 6.1% | 43.8% | 2.51M | 21.7% | 22.6% | 61.7 | 33.6% |
| 2016 | $10.7B | $4,396 | $10,200 | 0.0% | 6.7% | 45.8% | 2.44M | 23.4% | 21.8% | 60.8 | 35.0% |
| 2015 | $11.3B | $4,774 | $10,466 | 4.3% | 3.4% | 42.1% | 2.37M | 20.8% | 60.0 | 35.4% | |
| 2014 | $12.4B | $5,378 | $10,365 | 6.1% | 5.4% | 27.6% | 2.31M | 18.5% | 59.3 | 39.0% | |
| 2013 | $12B | $5,347 | $9,699 | 5.6% | 5.6% | 26.1% | 2.25M | 19.0% | 58.5 | 37.5% | |
| 2012 | $13B | $5,943 | $9,364 | 5.1% | 6.7% | 24.6% | 2.19M | 16.8% | 57.7 | 40.1% | |
| 2011 | $12.5B | $5,835 | $9,002 | 5.1% | 5.0% | 27.4% | 2.15M | 19.5% | 0.0% | 56.6 | 45.5% |
| 2010 | $11.4B | $5,418 | $8,538 | 6.0% | 4.9% | 16.3% | 2.11M | 22.1% | 0.0% | 56.1 | 48.3% |
| 2009 | $8.94B | $4,303 | $8,079 | 0.3% | 9.5% | 15.9% | 2.08M | 22.3% | 0.3% | 55.3 | 51.6% |
| 2008 | $8.61B | $4,205 | $8,125 | 2.6% | 9.1% | 19.1% | 2.05M | 22.0% | 0.6% | 54.7 | 53.7% |
| 2007 | $8.84B | $4,379 | $7,875 | 5.4% | 6.5% | 19.4% | 2.02M | 22.1% | 2.0% | 54.0 | 49.9% |
| 2006 | $8.0B | $4,017 | $7,374 | 7.1% | 5.0% | 26.1% | 1.99M | 21.8% | 2.0% | 53.2 | 45.4% |
| 2005 | $7.25B | $3,686 | $6,767 | 2.5% | 2.3% | 26.9% | 1.97M | 22.1% | 1.7% | 52.6 | 40.4% |
| 2004 | $6.61B | $3,403 | $6,480 | 12.3% | 4.1% | 29.2% | 1.94M | 22.1% | 1.4% | 52.2 | 39.8% |
| 2003 | $4.93B | $2,569 | $5,693 | 4.2% | 7.1% | 27.1% | 1.92M | 22.1% | 1.4% | 51.9 | 43.4% |
| 2002 | $3.35B | $1,772 | $5,433 | 4.8% | 12.7% | 22.2% | 1.89M | 21.5% | 2.5% | 52.0 | 46.2% |
| 2001 | $3.56B | $1,916 | $5,196 | 1.2% | 10.2% | 24.4% | 1.86M | 21.0% | 4.2% | 52.0 | 41.1% |
| 2000 | $3.92B | $2,157 | $5,129 | 3.5% | 10.2% | 20.9% | 1.82M | 20.3% | 7.7% | 52.9 | 40.7% |
| 1999 | $3.87B | $2,178 | $4,961 | 3.4% | 9.4% | 21.8% | 1.78M | 21.7% | 17.2% | 54.0 | 41.4% |
| 1998 | $3.87B | $2,235 | $4,852 | 3.3% | 6.6% | 19.6% | 1.73M | 23.1% | 11.0% | 54.8 | 41.4% |
| 1997 | $4.15B | $2,460 | $4,764 | 4.2% | 9.7% | 17.7% | 1.69M | 24.4% | 16.6% | 55.8 | 42.6% |
| 1996 | $3.99B | $2,423 | $4,612 | 3.2% | 8.7% | 18.7% | 1.65M | 22.8% | 11.9% | 56.6 | 45.4% |
| 1995 | $3.98B | $2,483 | $4,509 | 3.9% | 11.1% | 18.0% | 1.6M | 21.3% | 4.8% | 57.5 | 44.7% |
| 1994 | $3.67B | $2,356 | $4,376 | 1.7% | 12.1% | 16.4% | 1.56M | 19.4% | 5.4% | 58.4 | 44.1% |
| 1993 | $3.25B | $2,155 | $4,345 | −1.6% | 9.3% | 17.2% | 1.51M | 19.1% | 0.9% | 59.3 | 46.6% |
| 1992 | $3.43B | $2,347 | $4,452 | 7.2% | 21.6% | 1.46M | 18.9% | 60.2 | 43.0% | ||
| 1991 | $3.0B | $2,117 | $4,192 | 8.2% | 13.5% | 1.42M | 19.1% | 60.8 | 44.0% | ||
| 1990 | $2.79B | $2,037 | $3,875 | 2.0% | 13.7% | 1.37M | 61.4 | 43.6% | |||
| 1989 | $2.54B | $1,967 | 1.9% | 1.29M | 60.8 | 49.9% | |||||
| 1988 | $2.5B | $2,063 | 0.8% | 1.21M | 59.0 | 46.3% | |||||
| 1987 | $2.3B | $1,969 | 3.6% | 1.17M | 59.1 | 46.5% | |||||
| 1986 | $1.81B | $1,599 | 4.8% | 1.13M | 58.7 | 56.5% | |||||
| 1985 | $1.61B | $1,466 | 0.5% | 1.1M | 58.5 | 51.6% | |||||
| 1984 | $1.95B | $1,830 | −0.2% | 1.07M | 58.1 | 45.4% | |||||
| 1983 | $2.3B | $2,214 | −1.8% | 1.04M | 57.6 | 45.0% | |||||
| 1982 | $2.12B | $2,097 | −0.4% | 1.01M | 57.3 | 52.4% | |||||
| 1981 | $2.25B | $2,267 | 1.0% | 992K | 56.9 | 56.4% | |||||
| 1980 | $2.42B | $2,468 | 981K | 56.6 | 70.4% | ||||||
| 1979 | 963K | 59.5 | |||||||||
| 1978 | 947K | 59.1 | |||||||||
| 1977 | 931K | 58.6 | |||||||||
| 1976 | 907K | 58.0 | |||||||||
| 1975 | 881K | 57.5 | |||||||||
| 1974 | 854K | 56.9 | |||||||||
| 1973 | 829K | 56.4 | |||||||||
| 1972 | 804K | 55.8 | |||||||||
| 1971 | 781K | 55.3 | |||||||||
| 1970 | 758K | 54.7 | |||||||||
| 1969 | 736K | 54.1 | |||||||||
| 1968 | 716K | 53.6 | |||||||||
| 1967 | 696K | 52.9 | |||||||||
| 1966 | 678K | 52.3 | |||||||||
| 1965 | 661K | 52.0 | |||||||||
| 1964 | 645K | 51.3 | |||||||||
| 1963 | 630K | 50.6 | |||||||||
| 1962 | 616K | 50.0 | |||||||||
| 1961 | 603K | 49.2 | |||||||||
| 1960 | 591K | 48.5 |
e: IMF estimate; f: IMF forecast. Inflation: IMF data for 1990–2002, World Bank for the other years.
Nearby economies in Sub-Saharan Africa
Nearest by distance between capitals, with GDP per capita.
Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cabo Verde · Cameroon · Central African Republic · Chad · Comoros · Côte d’Ivoire · DR Congo · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Eswatini · Ethiopia · Gabon · Gambia · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Kenya · Lesotho · Liberia · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Nigeria · Republic of the Congo · Rwanda · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Africa · South Sudan · Sudan · São Tomé and Príncipe · Tanzania · Togo · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe
Rankings
GDP by country · GDP per capita · Real GDP growth · Inflation by country · Government debt to GDP · Stock market to GDP · Population by country · Unemployment by country
Data and methods
- GDP: gross domestic product in current US dollars, converted from the local currency at market exchange rates (World Bank); not adjusted for inflation.
- Purchasing power parity (PPP): GDP per person in international dollars, which buy the same basket of goods and services in every country. It compares living standards across countries in the same year; it is not adjusted for inflation over time.
- In 2025 dollars: the charts can remove US inflation (US consumer price index, annual average) so that dollar amounts from different years compare in today's money. Exchange rate swings still show.
- Growth and inflation: World Bank data (calendar years). Years the World Bank does not cover yet, and the estimates and forecasts, come from the IMF World Economic Outlook (October 2026): its forecasts start in 2026, and the years after a country's last actual year are IMF estimates.
- Government debt: gross debt of the general government (central, state and local government and social security funds) as a percentage of GDP, IMF. The World Bank's central government debt is narrower and covers fewer countries.
- Stock market capitalization: the end-of-year value of domestic companies listed on the country's exchanges (World Federation of Exchanges via the World Bank; before 2016, Standard & Poor's), as a percentage of GDP: the “Buffett indicator”. Investment funds are excluded, and so are companies listed only abroad; companies from elsewhere that list on an exchange count for its country (Hong Kong lists many mainland Chinese companies).
- Unemployment: ILO modeled estimates (share of the labor force); comparable across countries, but they may differ from national figures.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)