Aid, poverty & equality · Sub-Saharan Africa · Lower-middle income
Namibia: poverty, inequality and aid
Extreme poverty is 22.9% (2015), 32nd of 151 in the world and 30th of 44 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Poverty, $4.20/day is 35.0% (2015), 38th of 151 in the world and 34th of 44 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Poverty, $8.30/day is 61.1% (2015), 50th of 151 in the world and 39th of 44 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Undernourishment
NamibiaSub-Saharan AfricaLower-middle incomeWorld
Food insecurity
NamibiaLower-middle incomeWorld
14 indicators
Aid, poverty & equality: Namibia in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Sub-Saharan Africa; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme povertyExtreme poverty, $3.00 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 22.9%2015 | 32/151 | 30/44 | · | 38.6%2009 | · | −24.7 ppsince 2003 | 45.0% | 12.4% | 10.1% | |
| Poverty, $4.20/dayPoverty at $4.20 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 35.0%2015 | 38/151 | 34/44 | · | 53.9%2009 | · | −26.7 ppsince 2003 | 63.2% | 26.9% | 18.2% | |
| Poverty, $8.30/dayPoverty at $8.30 a day (2021 PPP), % of population | 61.1%2015 | 50/151 | 39/44 | · | 76.3%2009 | · | −19.3 ppsince 2003 | 88.6% | 76.8% | 46.2% | |
| National poverty ratePoverty at national poverty lines, % of population | 17.4%2015 | 92/145 | 42/45 | · | 28.7%2009 | · | −20.3 ppsince 2003 | — | — | — | |
| Gini indexGini index of income inequality | 59.12015 | 1/151 | 1/44 | · | 61.02009 | · | −6.6%since 2003 | — | — | — | |
| Top 10% income shareIncome share held by the richest 10% | 47.2%2015 | 1/151 | 1/44 | · | 51.8%2009 | · | −7.6 ppsince 2003 | — | — | — | |
| Bottom 20% income shareIncome share held by the poorest 20% | 2.8%2015 | 151/151 | 44/44 | · | 3.3%2009 | · | −0.2 ppsince 2003 | — | — | — | |
| UndernourishmentPrevalence of undernourishment, % of population | 20.1%2024 | 23/167 | 18/44 | 15.7%2001 | 27.4% | 21.8% | −0.6 ppsince 2014 | 22.3% | 12.1% | 8.1% | |
| Food insecurityModerate or severe food insecurity, % of population | 54.0%2024 | 30/155 | 25/38 | · | · | 57.9% | — | — | 41.8% | 28.0% | |
| Account ownershipAccount ownership (bank or mobile money), % of adults | 72.9%2024 | 71/145 | 6/36 | · | · | 71.3%2021 | +14.1 ppsince 2014 | 55.1% | 70.4% | 78.7% | |
| Women in parliamentSeats held by women in national parliament, % | 42.3%2025 | 21/190 | 4/46 | 25.0% | 24.4% | 43.3% | +1.0 ppsince 2015 | 27.0% | 23.6% | 27.2% | |
| Net ODA receivedNet official development assistance received, US$ | $272m2023 | 85/145 | 36/48 | $152m | $256m | $181m | +4.1%since 2013 | $64.8bn | $59.2bn | $259bn | |
| ODA, % of GNINet ODA received, % of GNI | 2.3%2023 | 73/139 | 36/47 | 3.9% | 2.4% | 1.7% | +0.1 ppsince 2013 | 3.1% | 0.9% | 0.2% | |
| ODA per personNet ODA received per capita, US$ | $91.72023 | 50/145 | 13/48 | $83.8 | $121 | $66.5 | −21%since 2013 | $51.5 | $20.6 | $32.2 |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Extreme poverty−24.7 pp22.9% in 2015
- Poverty, $4.20/day−26.7 pp35.0% in 2015
- Poverty, $8.30/day−19.3 pp61.1% in 2015
- National poverty rate−20.3 pp17.4% in 2015
Worse than ten years ago
- Bottom 20% income share−0.2 pp2.8% in 2015
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Namibia and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Namibia. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Namibia | South Africa | Angola | Zambia | Botswana |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extreme poverty | 22.9%2015 | 17.4%2022 | 39.3%2018 | 71.7%2022 | 21.4%2015 |
| Poverty, $4.20/day | 35.0%2015 | 30.2%2022 | 53.7%2018 | 81.4%2022 | 35.8%2015 |
| Poverty, $8.30/day | 61.1%2015 | 59.6%2022 | 80.0%2018 | 94.0%2022 | 63.2%2015 |
| National poverty rate | 17.4%2015 | 37.9%2022 | 32.3%2018 | 60.0%2022 | 16.1%2015 |
| Gini index | 59.12015 | 54.12022 | 51.32018 | 51.52022 | 54.92015 |
| Top 10% income share | 47.2%2015 | 42.1%2022 | 39.6%2018 | 39.1%2022 | 42.9%2015 |
| Bottom 20% income share | 2.8%2015 | 3.7%2022 | 3.8%2018 | 3.9%2022 | 3.7%2015 |
| Undernourishment | 20.1%2024 | 11.2%2024 | 17.4%2024 | 41.0%2024 | 18.2%2024 |
| Food insecurity | 54.0%2024 | 20.9%2024 | 75.4%2024 | 45.8%2024 | 52.0%2024 |