Rural population in Namibia
Namibia: Rural population was 1.52 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Rural population in Namibia, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Namibia stood at 1.52 million. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 17.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Namibia peaked at 1.52 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 453,091, in 1960.
That places Namibia 114th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Namibia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 453,091 | — |
| 1961 | 460,510 | +1.6% |
| 1962 | 468,907 | +1.8% |
| 1963 | 478,237 | +2.0% |
| 1964 | 488,474 | +2.1% |
| 1965 | 499,592 | +2.3% |
| 1966 | 511,571 | +2.4% |
| 1967 | 524,574 | +2.5% |
| 1968 | 538,455 | +2.6% |
| 1969 | 553,185 | +2.7% |
| 1970 | 568,827 | +2.8% |
| 1971 | 585,220 | +2.9% |
| 1972 | 602,454 | +2.9% |
| 1973 | 620,234 | +3.0% |
| 1974 | 638,660 | +3.0% |
| 1975 | 658,063 | +3.0% |
| 1976 | 676,567 | +2.8% |
| 1977 | 694,297 | +2.6% |
| 1978 | 705,746 | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 716,696 | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 729,856 | +1.8% |
| 1981 | 737,332 | +1.0% |
| 1982 | 749,725 | +1.7% |
| 1983 | 768,968 | +2.6% |
| 1984 | 789,002 | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 810,650 | +2.7% |
| 1986 | 834,516 | +2.9% |
| 1987 | 860,065 | +3.1% |
| 1988 | 889,002 | +3.4% |
| 1989 | 945,059 | +6.3% |
| 1990 | 1.00 million | +6.0% |
| 1991 | 1.03 million | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 1.06 million | +2.9% |
| 1993 | 1.09 million | +2.7% |
| 1994 | 1.12 million | +2.5% |
| 1995 | 1.14 million | +2.2% |
| 1996 | 1.16 million | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 1.18 million | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 1.20 million | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 1.22 million | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 1.23 million | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 1.25 million | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 1.25 million | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 1.26 million | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 1.25 million | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 1.25 million | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 1.24 million | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 1.24 million | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 1.23 million | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 1.23 million | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 1.23 million | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 1.23 million | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 1.24 million | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 1.26 million | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 1.28 million | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 1.29 million | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 1.31 million | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 1.33 million | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 1.36 million | +1.6% |
| 2019 | 1.38 million | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 1.40 million | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 1.43 million | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 1.46 million | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 1.48 million | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 1.50 million | +1.3% |
| 2025 | 1.52 million | +1.1% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 1.52 million is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.28 million, 29% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 1.52 million is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.41 million, 16% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 497,660 | 453,091 | 553,185 | 10 |
| 1970s | 646,676 | 568,827 | 716,696 | 10 |
| 1980s | 811,418 | 729,856 | 945,059 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.12 million | 1.00 million | 1.22 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.24 million | 1.23 million | 1.26 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.29 million | 1.23 million | 1.38 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.47 million | 1.40 million | 1.52 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More agriculture & rural data for Namibia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 8 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0699 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 340.78 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.13 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.4913 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 7.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 7.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.9% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Namibia?
- Rural population in Namibia was 1.52 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.52 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 453,091 in 1960.
- How does Namibia rank for rural population?
- Namibia ranks 114th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Namibia data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.