Namibia Population 2023 (Live)

2,609,888

Namibia does not have a population growth rate as high as some neighboring countries, but it is growing steadily at 2% per year. This trend is expected continue for the next few years.

Population Rank
Growth Rate
2023 World Percentage
Land Area
823,290
The current population of Namibia is 2,609,888 based on projections of the latest United Nations data. The UN estimates the July 1, 2023 population at 2,604,172.

Namibia Growth Rate

Namibia Population 2023 (Live)

Namibia Population Clock

Namibia Population (as of 8/24/2023)2,609,888
Last UN Estimate (July 1, 2023)2,604,172
Births per Day190
Deaths per Day73
Migrations per Day-11
Net Change per Day106
Population Change Since Jan. 124,910

Components of Population Change

One birth every 7.58 minutes
One death every 19.73 minutes
One emigrant every 130.92 minutes
Net gain of one person every 13.58 minutes

Namibia Population Clock

Population Growth and Population Density

Namibia is one of the least densely populated countries in the world with just 3.13 people per square kilometer, which ranks 226th worldwide. The only sovereign country that is less densely populated is Mongolia with 2 people per square kilometers. The largest city and capital is Windhoek, with a population of about 268,000. This is the only city with a population exceeding 100,000. The next-largest cities are Rundu and Walvis Bay, with about 55,000 people each.

Namibia Population Density Map

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Namibia Population by Year (Historical)

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Namibia Population by Year (Projections)

Namibia Population Pyramid 2023

Namibia Median Age

21.8

Total

21.1

Male

22.6

Female

Namibia Population by Age

There are people over age 18 in Namibia.

Census Years

Namibia Population Pyramid

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in southern Africa named for the Namib Desert that is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Angola, Zambia, Botswana, and South Africa. It does not quite actually border Zimbabwe, but the distance between the two countries is just the width of a 200-meter-wide riverbed at the closest point.

Namibia Demographics

Most Namibian people are of Bantu-speaking origin. The largest ethnic group is the Ovambo (49.8%), who live mostly in the north of the country and in towns throughout Namibia. Other ethnic groups include Kavango (9.3%), Damara (7.5%), Herero (7.5%), white (6.4%), Nama (4.8%) Caprivian (3.7%), San (2.9%), and Basters (2.5%).

The Khoisan (including the San and Nama) are descended from original inhabitants of Southern Africa. Namibia also has many descendants of Angolan refugees. There are two groups of mixed race people in Namibia: "Coloureds" (4.1%) and "Basters." Namibia also has a large Chinese minority.

Whites (Portuguese, British, German and Afrikaner) account for 6.4% of the population and make up the second-largest group of European ancestry in Sub-Saharan Africa. Most Namibian whites and most of the people of mixed race speak Afrikaans. A small amount of whites in the country are descendants of German colonial settlers.

In terms of religions among the population, Christians account for 80-90 (approximately 50% of this is Lutheran) of the population, while 10-20% have indigenous beliefs.

The median age of the Namibian population is at 21.2 years, with a life expectancy of 64 years overall. The current fertility rate as of 2018 is 3.29 children per woman with a maternal mean age of 21.5 years at the time of first birth. The infant mortality rate is at 35.1 deaths per 1,000 live births, ranking 55th in the world as of 2017.

Quality of Life in Namibia

91% of the population has access to clean drinking water overall while 65% of the population struggles to gain access to improved sanitation facilities. This contributes to a high risk of disease and illness in the area.

Literacy ability is currently estimated to be at 81.9% of the total population over the age of 15 years.

Namibia Population Rank 2023
Area
825,615
2023 Growth Rate
Capital
GDP (IMF)
$10.62
GDP (UN)
$10.95 Bn

Namibia - General Info

Sources