Share of cereals allocated to human food in Namibia
Namibia: Share of cereals allocated to human food was 49.0% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of cereals allocated to human food in Namibia, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Namibia recorded 49.0% for share of cereals allocated to human food in 2023.
That represents a change of down 16.9% on the previous year and down 35.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of cereals allocated to human food in Namibia peaked at 99.4% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 28.5%, in 2019.
That places Namibia 123rd out of 192 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Share of cereals allocated to human food in Namibia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 98.3% | — |
| 1962 | 98.4% | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 98.5% | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 98.5% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 98.6% | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 98.6% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 98.6% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 98.6% | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 98.7% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 98.8% | +0.1% |
| 1971 | 98.8% | +0.1% |
| 1972 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 98.9% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 99.0% | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 99.0% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 99.0% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 99.1% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 99.1% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 99.1% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 99.2% | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 99.2% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 99.2% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 99.2% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 99.2% | -0.0% |
| 1986 | 99.2% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 99.3% | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 99.4% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 99.4% | -0.0% |
| 1990 | 96.4% | -2.9% |
| 1991 | 94.5% | -2.0% |
| 1992 | 85.2% | -9.8% |
| 1993 | 85.9% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 86.3% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 83.7% | -3.0% |
| 1996 | 80.3% | -4.0% |
| 1997 | 79.3% | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 83.6% | +5.5% |
| 1999 | 81.7% | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 84.9% | +3.9% |
| 2001 | 88.0% | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 87.6% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 87.2% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 98.0% | +12.4% |
| 2005 | 89.3% | -8.8% |
| 2006 | 90.9% | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 91.2% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 88.3% | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 91.0% | +3.0% |
| 2010 | 72.6% | -20.2% |
| 2011 | 67.2% | -7.5% |
| 2012 | 60.9% | -9.3% |
| 2013 | 75.7% | +24.3% |
| 2014 | 72.5% | -4.3% |
| 2015 | 60.9% | -16.0% |
| 2016 | 61.5% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 44.2% | -28.2% |
| 2018 | 49.0% | +10.8% |
| 2019 | 28.5% | -41.7% |
| 2020 | 62.1% | +117.7% |
| 2021 | 50.5% | -18.8% |
| 2022 | 59.0% | +16.8% |
| 2023 | 49.0% | -16.9% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 49.0% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 75.2%, 65% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 49.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 88.3%, 55% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of cereals allocated to human food in Namibia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +117.7% | 28.5% | 62.1% |
| 2019 | -41.7% | 49.0% | 28.5% |
| 2017 | -28.2% | 61.5% | 44.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 98.5% | 98.3% | 98.7% | 9 |
| 1970s | 98.9% | 98.8% | 99.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 99.2% | 99.1% | 99.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 85.7% | 79.3% | 96.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 89.6% | 84.9% | 98.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 59.3% | 28.5% | 75.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.1% | 49.0% | 62.1% | 4 |
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 share of cereals allocated to human food in Namibia?
- Share of cereals allocated to human food in Namibia was 49.0% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of cereals allocated to human food recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 99.4% in 1988.
- What is the lowest share of cereals allocated to human food recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.5% in 2019.
- How does Namibia rank for share of cereals allocated to human food?
- Namibia ranks 123rd out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of cereals allocated to human food rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Namibia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of cereals allocated to human food. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of cereals available for domestic use – after accounting for trade – that is allocated to direct human consumption, relative to the total used for human food, animal feed, and industrial purposes. This excludes cereals used for seed, processing, and losses.