Page last modified 21 August 2023
Namibia (formerly South West Africa)
Community
Area 824,292 square kilometres (land area 823,290 square kilometres)
Population,
120,000 (1900)*
200,000 (1903)
357,787 (1936)
463,000 (1950)
634,000 (1960) +36.9%
817,000 (1970) +28.9%
1,058,000 (1980) +29.5%
1,433,000 (1990) +35.4%
1,795,000 (2000) +25.3%
2,119,000 (2010) +18.1%
2,541,000 (2020) +19.9%
*Wars between the indigenous population and European (German) colonisers, and subsequent slavery, greatly reduced the population pre-1900.
Ethnicity, %������
|
|
Black |
Mixed race |
White |
|
1903 |
|
|
3.5 |
|
1936 |
73.2 |
18.3 |
8.6 |
|
2010 |
87.5 |
6.5 |
6.0 |
Religion, %
|
|
Animist |
Christian |
|
2010 |
15.0 |
85.0 |
Birth and death rates Below replacement rate = 2.1
|
|
Fertility Rate |
Birth Rate |
Infant Mortality |
Death Rate |
% Aged Under 15 |
% Aged Over 65 |
% Urban |
|
1946 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
8.8 |
|
1952 |
|
45.0 (+20.0) |
168.0 |
25.0 |
41.4 |
3.7 |
14.0 |
|
1962 |
6.2 |
46.0 (+28.4) |
115.0 |
17.6 |
42.1 |
3.7 |
18.7 |
|
1970 |
6.5 |
45.0 (+30.7) |
62.7 |
14.7 |
43.1 |
3.6 |
22.3 |
|
1980 |
6.5 |
43.0 (+31.6) |
64.2 |
11.4 |
46.7 |
3.5 |
25.1 |
|
1990 |
5.2 |
38.2 (+29.4) |
48.4 |
8.8 |
43.7 |
3.4 |
27.7 |
|
2000 |
3.9 |
31.2 (+20.2) |
47.2 |
11.0 |
40.5 |
3.3 |
32.4 |
|
2010 |
3.6 |
30.0 (+20.1) |
36.3 |
9.9 |
38.4 |
4.1 |
41.6 |
|
2015 |
3.5 |
29.6 (+22.1) |
33.5 |
7.5 |
37.0 |
3.7 |
46.7 |
|
2017 |
3.4 |
29.1 (+22.0) |
29.7 |
7.1 |
|
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
29.0 |
|
36.9 |
3.6 |
50.0 |
Life expectancy, Average life expectancy fell after 1990 due to the prevalence of AIDS in Namibia.
38.7 (1952); 38.0 (M), 40.0 (F)
46.9 (1960); 44.8 (M), 49.1 (F)
52.3 (1970); 50.1 (M), 54.6 (F)
57.5 (1980); 54.9 (M), 60.2 (F)
61.5 (1990); 58.5 (M), 64.5 (F)
55.5 (2000); 53.1 (M), 58.1 (F)
58.1 (2010); 56.1 (M), 60.2 (F)
63.8 (2020); 60.8 (M), 66.5 (F)
Population of principal cities, 1,000s
|
|
Keetmanshoop |
Luderitz1 |
Swakopmund |
Walvis Bay2 |
WINDHOEK3 |
|
1936 |
3 |
3 |
|
|
10 |
|
1946 |
|
|
|
|
20 |
|
1960 |
|
|
|
|
36 |
|
1971 |
|
|
|
|
504 |
|
1980 |
|
|
|
|
111 |
|
1988 |
|
|
|
21 |
|
|
1990 |
14 |
6 |
16 |
|
125 |
|
1997 |
16 |
7 |
|
50 |
|
|
2001 |
16 |
13 |
25 |
42 |
234 |
|
2011 |
21 |
13 |
45 |
|
326 |
|
2016 |
|
|
|
100 |
|
1Luderitz was renamed !Nami=Nus, in 2013, meaning �Embrace� in the local language.
2The only deepwater post on Namibia�s coastline, Walvis Bay (Whale-fish Bay) was part of Cape Province, South Africa, 1884-1993.� From 1992 the territory was jointly administered by Namibia and South Africa; in 1993 Namibia gained full control.
3Windhoek means �windy cape� in Dutch.
4This
was comprised of 52% White, 48% Black
Wealth; Gross Domestic Product (nominal values)
|
|
GDP, US$ million |
Total GDP, % of USA |
GDP per capita, US$ |
GDP per capita % of USA |
|
1970 |
770 |
0.07 |
916 |
17.46 |
|
1975 |
1,429 |
0.09 |
1,485 |
18.99 |
|
1980 |
2,435 |
0.09 |
2,400 |
19.05 |
|
1985 |
1,615 |
0.04 |
1,400 |
7.66 |
|
1990 |
2,800 |
0.05 |
2,031 |
8.48 |
|
1995 |
3,942 |
0.05 |
2,380 |
7.92 |
|
2000 |
3,908 |
0.04 |
2,060 |
5.65 |
|
2005 |
7,261 |
0.06 |
3,580 |
8.08 |
|
2010 |
11,282 |
0.08 |
5,200 |
10.75 |
|
2015 |
11,500 |
0.06 |
4,740 |
8.43 |
|
2016 |
10,270 |
0.06 |
4,140 |
7.20 |
GDP by primary sector
|
|
Agriculture % GDP |
Agriculture % employed |
Industry % GDP |
Industry % employed |
Services % GDP |
Services % employed |
|
1970 |
|
51.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
1990 |
12.5 |
43.5 |
32.5 |
23.5 |
52.3 |
34.8 |
|
2000 |
11.0 |
47.0 |
28.0 |
20.0 |
61.0 |
33.0 |
|
2010 |
9.0 |
31.0 |
32.7 |
14.0 |
58.2 |
54.0 |
|
2016 |
6.2 |
|
25.9 |
|
67.9 |
|
Communications
Language Afrikaans, Official; English, German
English, 7.0% (2005)
German, 32.0% (2005)
Literacy
72.5% (1985)
82.7% (2000); 83.4% (M), 81.9% (F)
85.2% (2003); 86.8% (M), 83.5% (F)
88.0% (2010); 88.6% (M), 87.4% (F)
Physical communications � roads and railways
|
|
Roads (km) |
Surfaced (km) |
Motor vehicles |
Cars |
Commercial Vehicles |
Railways (km) |
|
1938 |
32,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1945 |
|
|
|
|
|
2,338 |
|
1966 |
34,000 |
1,350 |
41,236 |
|
|
2,338 |
|
1985 |
|
|
120,000 |
|
|
2,338 |
|
1990 |
41,815 |
4,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
1995 |
65,220 |
4,900 |
130,000 |
62,000 |
61,000 |
2,382 |
|
2000 |
66,647 |
|
146,936 |
68,565 |
73,600 |
|
|
2002 |
|
|
160,274 |
82,580 |
76,080 |
|
|
2008 |
|
6,387 |
|
107,800 |
117,400 |
2,628 |
|
2013 |
|
|
280,600 |
|
|
|
|
2014 |
|
|
|
|
|
2,628 |
Electronic communications, TV broadcasts began 1981
|
|
Telephones (landlines) |
Mobile Telephones |
Radios |
Televisions |
PCs |
Internet Users |
|
1940 |
2,080 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1944 |
2,300 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1950 |
|
|
7,700 |
|
|
|
|
1960 |
|
|
19,000 |
|
|
|
|
1975 |
24,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1980 |
29,000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1985 |
|
|
53,674 |
22,377 |
|
|
|
1990 |
53,000 |
|
180,000 |
30,000 |
|
|
|
1995 |
|
3,500 |
215,000 |
|
|
|
|
1996 |
|
|
|
|
20,000 |
|
|
1998 |
|
|
|
|
|
2,000 |
|
2000 |
110,200 |
82,000 |
258,000 |
135,000 |
75,000 |
30,000 |
|
2002 |
|
|
|
|
|
50,000 |
|
2004 |
|
|
|
145,000 |
220,000 |
|
|
2005 |
|
395,000 |
|
|
300,000 |
|
|
2010 |
152,000 |
1,535,000 |
|
|
|
135,000 |
|
2016 |
187,812 |
2,560,000 |
|
|
|
756,000 |
|
2017 |
|
|
|
|
|
797,000 |
Tourism: Visitors to Namibia,
318,028 (1991)
272,000 (1995)
656,000 (2000)
778,000 (2005)
984,000 (2010)
1,388,000 (2015)